RONNIE O’SULLIVAN

with Rhiannon Lambert

TOP OF YOUR GAME

70 Recipes To Help You Eat For Success
 RONNIE O’SULLIVAN
with Rhiannon Lambert

TOP OF YOUR GAME

70 Recipes To Help You Eat For Success
 Published by Lagom
An imprint of Bonnier Books UK
The Plaza,
535 Kings Road,
Chelsea Harbour,
London, SW10 0SZ

www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

Paperback 9781788700917
eBook 9781788701181

All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
transmitted or circulated in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without prior permission in writing of the publisher.

A CIP catalogue of this book is available from the British Library.

Copyright © Ronnie O’Sullivan and Rhitrition Ltd., 2019

Photography copyright © Andrew Hayes-Watkins

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Rhiannon Lambert have asserted their moral right to be identified as the authors
of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book,
but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.

Lagom is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK

www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

The author and publisher shall have no liability or responsibility to any person or entity regarding any
loss, damage or injury incurred, or alleged to have incurred, directly or indirectly, by the information
contained in this book.
CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

MINDSET

WHAT IS ON YOUR PLATE?

RECIPES

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

DINNER

ON-THE-GO SNACKS

INDEX

AUTHOR BIOS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
You might well be thinking, ‘Why is the world snooker champion Ronnie
O’Sullivan telling me how eating well will change my life? He isn’t a chef –
he wins snooker championships, so what does he know about food?’

These are all questions that I wouldn’t blame you for asking as you think
about buying this book – after all, moderation, healthy living and self-care
aren’t necessarily things that you would automatically associate with me. I’ve
been very honest about my addictive personality in the past; depending on the
year and what else was going on in my life, my addictions have included
drink, drugs, food, Prozac and running. It’s taken me a while, but I can now
accept that my addictive personality is just the way I am – it’s my nature and
I’m finally okay with that.

But I’ve also learned to manage that nature by changing my diet and
regarding food as the fuel that can help me get the best out of life. The idea
that what you put in dictates what you get out is not rocket science, but I now
realise that what’s on my plate has a massive impact on how I feel and, most
importantly, on how I play snooker. I don’t want you to pick this book up and
think, ‘Oh here we go, another person in the public eye is telling me to buy
expensive “healthy” food, when he probably has people to cook for him.’ I
actually look after myself and try to keep my life simple and focused with
good food and good exercise, which (I hope) helps me play my best. All this
also makes me nice to be around and helps me to be a better dad too. That’s
all I care about.
Being motivated to be the best is what drives all ambitious people. I’m never
satisfied with myself and want to be as good as I can. That said, though we
all love to win, I genuinely believe that as long as you do your best and try to
improve, it’s doesn’t matter where you finish. There’s nothing wrong with
coming last, as long as you’ve given yourself the best chance and are curious
about how you can do even better next time.

Whatever sport or business you’re in, you should always be looking around at
your competitors and asking, ‘Is anyone doing anything better than me? And
can I learn from them?’ Since I sorted out the way I eat, I have more belief
that I might be able to play for a bit longer than I previously thought. I’d love
to think I could still be competing and winning tournaments well into my
fifties – and who knows? What I do know is that it all comes down to how I
treat my body and my mind.

As you will learn in this book, my new addiction is a really healthy one: it’s a
commitment to eating well that is making me feel the best I ever have. I’ve
finally realised that my body needs to be nourished rather than punished and
that, if I look after it in the right way, it will do right by me. It sounds obvious
but it’s true – you get out what you put in and the machine is only as good as
the fuel you use. To be the very best at what you do, you need to invest in
yourself – it’s all about being motivated to reach your full potential in
whatever you do. Be proud of the talent and skills you have, but also know
that you have to do your bit. I know from experience that nothing comes to
you just because you want it.

I hope this book will help you realise that life is all about moderation.
Thinking about food this way has shown me that I can still have the odd fry-
up if I make better choices; I’ll have rye bread, two eggs, two pieces of
halloumi, avocado and tomatoes, but won’t have the unhealthy bacon or
sausages. It’s still delicious and it’s still a treat – and it shows what I’m trying
to do in this book. It isn’t about denial – it’s about finding the option that
suits you best and making healthy changes.

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to maintain the level of excellence
needed to consistently win world snooker tournaments. At times it used to
feel impossible, but since I’ve been following a healthy eating plan for the
last couple of years, all that has changed – my renewed physical energy,
mental staying power and self-belief have taken me to the best place of my
career. In this book, I really want to show you how you can eat, think and
work your way to being number one – and stay there.

This book won’t give you an easy way out; if you know you’re eating badly,
I won’t tell you that you can still pile your plate with the terrible food that got
you in the state where you need to make changes. You’re reading this book
because you need to shake things up – we all get into that situation now and
again, but the trick is to recognise it and find someone who can set you on the
right path. I did some research, and tried to find someone on my wavelength
who spoke common sense and could help me understand what I needed to eat
in order to get the best out of myself. I found Rhiannon Lambert, a registered
nutritionist who specialises in weight management and sports nutrition.

I didn’t want to follow just another diet book, which would force me to count
calories, avoid a long list of foods and leave me feeling miserable all the
time. The months before I started working with Rhiannon had been one long
cycle of denial, bingeing, guilt, yo-yo weight loss and instant gratification. I
knew that if I wanted to treat my body the way I should and eat in the very
best way, I needed to surround myself with the best experts.

Rhiannon and I were introduced on email to start off with, and the first time
we met, we talked for hours! I was instantly impressed by her knowledge and
just knew that she would help sort me out – I’ve always believed that we
should go straight to the people who know more than us when we need help.
They are experts for a reason! Rhiannon runs a clinic in London where she
teaches her simple approach to eating well, free from dieting and any kind of
restriction. It sounded like it would suit me perfectly.
After our first meeting, we scheduled regular appointments; at the first one,
Rhiannon sat me down and we talked about my current diet. Once we had
done that, she asked me lots of questions and we examined my childhood
attitude to food, my food associations and the triggers that set off bad eating
habits in me. It wasn’t just about what I ate and when – it was also about why
I ate, what I did, and the feelings and emotions that were linked to my
behaviour. It took a while to get my head around it, but I haven’t looked back
since then.

Before I met Rhiannon, I’d eat heavy meals that would make me really tired
or give me a big spike in energy, followed by a crash. I realise now that it’s
all about keeping myself topped up and stable, eating regularly without
overdoing it. My big problem has always been that I think I need to eat more
than I do, so learning when my plate is full enough has been a real game-
changer.

This book won’t help you make excuses; you can’t out-train a bad diet, but
neither can you be the best if your body and mind don’t have what they need
in order for you to be number one. My advice? Set some goals for yourself,
and then smash them. You have one life, so why waste it being average when
you can learn to be great?

WHAT THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU:

An easy-to-follow guide for living better, eating more healthily and

helping your brain to enhance your performance, whatever it is you do.

A collection of seriously tasty recipes.

A proper examination of how food links to brain health and can enhance
concentration. What you eat can have a massive impact on your mental
sharpness, and can also help with problems like insomnia and anxiety.
The difference it has made to my snooker has been amazing.
Tips and information about how to eat and train; whether you are on the
road all the time like me or sitting at a desk all day, there’s always a
healthy choice – you just have to train yourself to take it.

Help to cope with the stress of modern life.

“YOU CAN’T OUT-TRAIN A BAD

DIET”
MY FITNESS AND NUTRITION
JOURNEY

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

I grew up in an Italian household where food was taken so seriously that it
was almost like a religion – the evening meal when we sat down as a family
to eat bowls of steaming pasta, delicious casseroles and sweet desserts was
the highlight of the day. We would linger over meals and eat much more than
we needed to, continuing to pick at the food my mum had lovingly prepared
long after we were full. I can’t really remember when I became aware that
food was one area where I was definitely ‘all or nothing’, but I think I was a
teenager when I realised I had put on some weight.

The public know a lot about my life – how I struggled when my dad went to
prison, for instance. I suppose it was around that time that my addictive
personality really started to come out, and when I first discovered drink and
drugs. I began to feel out of control, and over the years, I’ve gone down that
same road more times than I’d care to admit.

Like most people, I’ve always known the basics when it comes to nutrition.
We all know that a diet of pizza and beer, with loads of takeaways each
week, will cause us to pile on the pounds. But if you struggle with doing
things in moderation, like I do, that self-knowledge can go completely out the
window.

I suppose over the years I’ve experienced a cycle of getting bigger and
feeling crap about myself, and then training excessively, almost as if I was
punishing myself. It obviously caused my weight to go up and down like a
yo-yo, but more importantly it had the same effect on my mood. This had a
direct effect on how I performed in my day job as a snooker player. I always
expected a stupid amount from my body, even though I was abusing it – how
was I supposed to concentrate for hours on end, when I wasn’t giving my
body and brain what it needed?

I’ve always been into fitness and loved running as a teenager, but stopped
when Dad got banged up – in fact, I stopped doing everything that was good
for me. Looking back, it was the beginning of my all-or-nothing attitude to
life.

Once he got out of prison, he was on at me right away to get back into the
training – ‘no excuses’ was his motto, and he was completely right. I had
turned professional at 16 and when I started to go running, there was no
doubt that my snooker improved. The days were long – I was often picked up
at 8am and dropped home after midnight. The key to my success at snooker
was staying focused and having the right level of concentration – and running
helped me with that.

Although I might not always appreciate it, I’m someone who needs structure
and I’m a nightmare when it is disrupted. So when Dad was convicted for
murder, my structure was turned upside down and drink and drugs took over
my life. Before I knew it, I was 20 years old, weighed over 15 stone, was
addicted to pretty much every drink and drug around and was the not-so-
proud owner of a 37-inch gut. I was fat, miserable and far from the top of my
game. I felt gross and knew that I needed to turn things around.

I started running again and lost three stone. For the next few years, it was the
thing that kept me in check. Even when the rest of my life looked like a car
crash, it kept me sane, kept my weight steady and allowed me to tell myself I
had things under control. The running was a crutch during the shit times and I
started doing it competitively in 2004. On the outside, everything looked
rosy, especially as I was World Champion, but I was feeling low and trying
desperately to stay clean. It was a rocky road that that was full of bumps,
stints in The Priory, Narcotics Anonymous meetings and more ups and
downs than I can remember.

What I lacked was consistency in any part of my life, and I lurched from one
crisis to another, determined to do everything my own way. Lots of snooker
players like to do the same thing over and over again, following the same
routine and moving slowly and deliberately; I’m the opposite and have
always had trouble sitting still, concentrating on what’s in front of me and
doing what’s expected of me. One minute I was 17 years old and winning my
first major title; the next I’d been suspended for head-butting an official –
that was how my life went.

After a while, I wasn’t able to cope with the pressure. When it comes to
snooker, even the most basic shot requires a combination of thinking ahead,
speed, being precise and a reliance on the laws of science. You spend most of
the time trying to control the uncontrollable, which pretty much sums up my
whole life! I have talked openly about my love-hate relationship with both
the game and myself, and the two things often seem to go together. When I
first went off the rails, the snooker table became a complicated place for me
to be, with many bad associations.

I won my first tournament at nine years old and it took a long time and hard
work to get to the point where I overtook Stephen Hendry’s record of 775
century breaks. But in my thirties, the wheels came off everything – I was too
in my head and found myself unable to deliver the cue. My manager at the
time persuaded me to see Steve Peters, a professor of psychiatry at Sheffield
University. He used to be a doctor at Rampton Secure Hospital, but started
working with elite athletes to help improve their mental performance. He
gave me the ability to do what I needed to get my focus back.
My attitude to running also helped my attitude to snooker. If you run for
miles every day of the week, you end up being knackered and not matching
your personal best, and it was the same with snooker – before a tournament I
would cram in as much training as possible, but would wonder why I was
going backwards and getting worse. I realised then that there is such a thing
as overdoing it and this means that you don’t bring your ‘A’ game. I know
now that we are all beginners at one stage, so the most important thing is
trusting yourself and realising that it’s all part of the journey to be the best we
can be. Don’t worry about anyone else and stay focused on your own lane.
Let others try to look over your shoulder. They are behind you for a reason.

NO EXCUSES – BE AT THE TOP OF YOUR

GAME
We’re all good at different things, and there’s enough information out there
to help you be whatever you want to be. I don’t do excuses or half measures
and neither should you: if you have bought this book to help you make a
change, then don’t talk about reading it – just get on and read it! If you want
to give up smoking, find the best expert for that, and if you want to give up
drugs, do the same thing. When I first decided I wanted to play snooker, I
immediately identified Stephen Hendry as the best person I could learn from
and used to watch him for hours on end – he was world number one, so I
watched him to find out why, and that helped me become the best too.

With anything new I think, ‘Who is at the top of their game?’ and I say the
same thing to the younger players I’m surrounded by now. I often hear them
come out with excuse after excuse and blaming bad luck when they lose in a
tournament, and I just won’t have it. For me, there isn’t any such thing as
luck or coincidence – it’s hard work, focus and determination that help you
get to the top and stay there, and it’s all about creating the life you want and
being the best version of yourself. I now include eating the right food for my
body in that list of must-do things. Thinking about food and eating the right
things is key to keeping myself on the straight and narrow in every aspect of
my life.
You don’t have to completely wipe out your old life – it’s all about taking
steps in the right direction. If you want to train, make the commitment. You
don’t have to be Mo Farah – just get your heart rate up and stretch your
muscles three or four times a week and, as long as you’ve also sorted your
diet, you’ll start to see the changes. That’s the bit that I didn’t have sorted
until the penny finally dropped and I realised that you really can’t exercise a
bad diet away.

MAKING THE CHANGE

Often, he hardest thing is knowing that you need to make a change, but in
September 2017, I knew that was what I had to do. I’d hit a wall with my
physical and mental wellbeing, and I was fat again, despite the fact that I was
over-exercising. Deep down, I knew I was eating way too much of all the
wrong things, which meant that despite the exercise, my body was not able to
lose any weight.

I needed to rediscover the feeling of being at peak mental and physical health,
which meant changing my life in order to get the best out of myself.
Everything was suffering: I was playing badly because I was so knackered all
the time and I couldn’t practise as much as I needed to because I had no
energy. I was following a carbohydrate-free diet to try and drop some
pounds, without realising that my brain needed good carbohydrates to
function during matches. I was literally running on empty, while also
expecting an elite performance from my exhausted, starving body.

I know it’s all about eating great food, pacing yourself, recuperating and
understanding that your mental health is just as important as your physical
health. And the biggest gains are made when you fuel yourself well and rest
properly – this sort of thinking has changed my life. I treated myself badly
back then, because that was how I felt. Now I treat myself like a Ferrari: you
can’t get me out every day, but when you do, you can be confident that you
will get the best, because I’m well looked after in between performances.

I’m an open book in many ways, and particularly when it comes to my

relationship with snooker. It’s well known that I have a complicated
relationship with the game that has made me famous. I’ve won five World
Championships, which places me just behind Steve Davis and Ray Reardon
(who have both won six) and Hendry (who has won seven), but despite this
success, there have been days when I could hardly look at a cue, when I’ve
had zero motivation and have wanted to quit the game completely. Looking
back, so much of that attitude had to do with the fact I wasn’t fuelling my
mind properly. That’s a thing of the past now, and I don’t even recognise the
old me – the person who couldn’t walk anywhere without dripping in sweat
and was miserable, and desperate for change. My decision that enough was
enough marked a real turning point. As with anything I do, I have to learn it
for myself and wade through the facts so that I understand what I am doing
and, most importantly, why I am doing it.

In the same way that I wanted to excel at snooker, it was important to me that
I excelled at my new regime and got the knowledge I needed to take charge
of my life and form new, healthier habits. Rhiannon gave me the knowledge I
needed to get going.
MINDSET
MINDSET
Our bodies are amazing things. Sometimes I think about what I’ve done to
mine over the years: how far I’ve pushed it, how much I expected from it and
how little I gave it – after all this, I’m amazed that I’m still standing, never
mind still playing! But it wasn’t until I started thinking properly about how I
treated myself in terms of food that I thought about how amazing the brain is,
and how much I rely on it to play my best snooker.

I’ve had my depression battles over the years, many of which have been
pretty public, but the truth is that strong mental health is linked to everything
we do, and yet it’s often the thing we look after least – that was certainly the
case with me. Since I’ve changed up my diet, I’ve really started to live by the
idea that we can only take care of our long-term physical and mental health
when we take a proper look at our diet and lifestyle.

Obviously everyone is different, but I genuinely think that feeding your mind
and body properly can help avoid the sorts of dark places that I’ve found
myself in over the years. The trick is to try and avoid getting into a negative
cycle, and what we eat can play a massive part in keeping us steady.

MENTAL HEALTH ON A PLATE

The mind is a complicated and finely tuned machine and it needs careful
maintenance – we need to keep balanced if we expect it to work to its
maximum capacity. You should be able to perform at the highest level,
whatever your goals are, and we can make that happen by looking after how
we fuel the brain.

We all feel like we’re going nowhere at some point in our lives, and I’ve
been no different. When I met Rhiannon in September 2017, it was the start
of the new snooker season and my mental ability to play the game was
suffering, largely because of my diet. I’d hit a wall and was feeling fed up
with everything and not as switched on as usual. Everything felt like a slog –
I was in a rut and needed help with my head, my game, and everything else! I
needed to play well, with no excuses about a lack of energy or feeling in bad
shape.

I immediately liked Rhiannon’s positivity – looking back, I definitely needed

some of that, given my negative frame of mind. I was properly depressed and
was also unable to run due to an injury – over the years, I’d torn ligaments,
broken my foot and had numerous calf and Achilles problems. I was literally
falling apart, and also used to sweat like a beast, because I was carrying too
much weight – Rhiannon must have wondered what she’d let herself in for
when I walked into her clinic for my appointment!

HOW DO YOU EAT?

Rhiannon and I immediately set about trying to identify patterns that were
particular to how I ate. I wouldn’t say I’m greedy, but I love my food and
once the training had gone out of the window, so had my self-restraint.
Suddenly that cheeky portion of fish and chips and a second pudding felt
acceptable and I very quickly let myself go – it was as if without the running,
there were no consequences or brakes. I couldn’t just have one cheesecake,
so I’d have four, while thinking, ‘Why can’t I stop?’

I’d always thought that some tough training would solve all my issues but,
after Rhiannon had analysed what and how I ate, I started to understand that
every aspect of my performance was either enhanced or diluted by what I
consumed. The key shift was also looking at food in terms of my internal
physical and mental health, and not just in terms of how I looked. Writing the
evidence down on paper was not a pretty sight and one thing was clear: I
needed to get a handle on the situation right away.
RHIANNON: THE MAGIC INGREDIENT IS KNOWLEDGE

Snooker is a sport that involves a great deal of concentration over a long

period of time – eating well is extremely important for this and it can really
enhance how you think and feel. Without carbohydrates, Ronnie felt tired and
not at his best, but as soon as we re-introduced them, his energy levels soared
and his brain began to work properly again. Carbohydrates are the brain’s
preferred source of fuel, so it’s no wonder that he felt better after they had
been re-introduced into his diet. The fog lifted for Ronnie and he was able to
view his game more clearly.

The average person in the UK should aim for 30g of fibre every day. Ronnie
and I discussed how we could improve his digestion and also support his gut
health, which is linked to maintaining a healthy weight and a happy mind.

BEFORE AFTER

Porridge with
2 eggs and an avocado BREAKFAST berries and
flaxseed

Fruit and
Chocolate bar or biscuits SNACK
yoghurt

Mezze, including a tub of

Chicken, rice
hummus, falafel, rice, bread and LUNCH
and salad
chicken

Hummus, rye
crispbreads
Crisps SNACK
and cottage
cheese
 Fish, sweet
Two portions of curry DINNER potato and
vegetables

Chocolate cake DESSERT Fruit

MY GOALS:

• Optimum health

• Good digestion

• Support sports performance

• Body fat reduction

EATING FOR MIND

This was the first thing I tackled, as it was the most urgent issue. I couldn’t
even be bothered to pick up a cue, didn’t care if I won or lost and was
spending a lot of my time sleeping instead of practising. My first discovery
was that when you don’t eat enough nutrient-rich foods, your body lacks
essential vitamins and minerals, which can have a negative effect on your
energy, mood and brain function.

Rhiannon taught me that having the ability to focus and concentrate comes
from the supply of glucose that’s used by the brain as energy – in fact, the
brain uses 20 per cent of all the energy that is supplied to the body! Glucose
is also essential to fuel your muscles and maintain a constant body
temperature. The glucose in our blood comes from carbohydrates, such as
fruit, vegetables, cereals, rice, bread, potatoes, sugars and the lactose in milk.
To play my best snooker game, I had to start making sure my meals were
properly balanced and gave me extra glucose, so that my body could store
some for an emergency. This would help keep me sharp and keep my
temperature calm and my heart steady. Long training sessions and matches
that go on for hours cannot be fuelled by sugary energy drinks and bacon
sandwiches covered in HP Sauce. My old diet and carb-cutting meant that I
didn’t have the stamina; a lack of glucose meant I got headaches and felt
sweaty, all at a time when I should have been concentrating on finishing off
an opponent.

Being on the road makes it harder to keep yourself in line. Long days of
playing would often end with a visit to a nice restaurant, and it had always
been easy to reward myself with lots of comfort food. What’s so brilliant
about my healthier lifestyle now is that I can still do that, but instead of
ordering a dessert and then finishing off my mate’s, I now share one with
someone else. I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself because I still get a taste
– I just don’t need all the extra helpings! Best of all, because I’m cooking the
recipes that Rhiannon gave me, I can look at a menu and know exactly what
to choose and how the food has been cooked. I can easily ask for some fish,
potatoes and salad, pretty much anywhere I go.
Preparing your own food gives you the ultimate control – in fact, sometimes I
make some food for myself before I go out to a restaurant. This means I don’t
arrive starving and make bad choices – I know that’s a trigger for me. Still, I
don’t beat myself up if I do fall off the wagon, because a bad day doesn’t
have to turn into a bad week or month – that’s not how it works!

It’s actually not so much that I deny myself – it’s more that I genuinely don’t
want to feel terrible and now know which foods will do that to me. When I
played in The Masters recently, I watched some of the players eat huge egg
and bacon sandwiches covered in HP Sauce. I could tell they’d loved every
second, and I have to say that right then and there, I’d have done anything to
join them! But two minutes later, they felt terrible and had to get up to play
their best snooker while feeling bloated and heavy. I was delighted that I
hadn’t caved! I’ve come to realise that my performance is slicker when I feel
light and bright, and good food does that for me.

The bottom line is that it has a massive impact on the way we feel, and also
that our mood can influence the food choices we make. It’s all to do with the
habits that we make and what we tell ourselves we need.

I can 100 per cent identify with the slippery slope of diets and weight loss.
How many times have we all got on the scales to see that we’ve put on a few
pounds, then gone out to a restaurant and thought, ‘Sod it,’ before ordering
two of everything? For me, that was the story of my life before I understood
the consequences of such actions.

“PREPARING YOUR OWN FOOD

GIVES YOU THE ULTIMATE
CONTROL”
When I behaved like that, it wasn’t just that the weight went on – it was also
that I would look in the mirror and not like what I saw. Mentally, I got into
the habit of hating my reflection and always being angry with myself that I
couldn’t control my eating. It was really hard on my head and also meant
that, being on form and playing a good match became tricky. I would eat
badly and feel heavy, and then I’d just be fuming that I’d put so much bad
stuff into my body. Then I’d be convinced I would have a bad match – and
most times, I would.

I now realise that feeling good physically and mentally is the result of having
a diet that gives us the right amount of everything, including healthy
carbohydrates. If we eat them regularly throughout the day, they ensure that
our concentration and mental energy levels stay stable. For me, this means
that there are no dips when I’m in the middle of a match. Eating breakfast is
also a must, as it can stop cravings later in the day.

In terms of what we actually need, the old-school clichés are true. Just as we
were told when we were kids, fruit and vegetables are really important – and
oily fish is good for the brain and our mood. If we build our diet around the
basics, we can make sure we don’t miss anything.

The table opposite is a helpful way to match which vitamins and minerals we
might be missing, based on the impact that not getting enough of them has on
our mood:

I had to start from scratch – everything I’d been doing previously had to be
scrapped and it felt a bit like rebooting a computer. I sat down with Rhiannon
and we put together a nutrition plan that would cover all the bases.

The main thing was that I wouldn’t feel hungry, because that’s something I
find really hard. Being hungry is OK, but when I have important matches to
play, I don’t want to feel this way. This was also where the reality began to
hit home. So many people moan that the main thing stopping them from
going on a diet is the fact there’s so much they can’t eat, and I’m not going to
lie about this – kick-starting a healthy way of living means that a lot of food
just has to go, and that’s just a fact. I’m not going to pretend that you can
have your wine, beer and big bowls of white pasta and still lose weight; you
need to want to make the change and stick to it. But I can tell you for a fact,
that you won’t look back.

EFFECT
MISSING FOODS WHICH CAN
ON
VITAMIN/MINERAL HELP
MOOD

The risk of anaemia is

reduced with adequate iron
Feeling
weak, tired intake, particularly from red
and meat, poultry and fish, beans
IRON
lethargic and pulses and fortified
all the
cereals.
time.
Not drinking tea with meals
may also help.

THIAMIN B1, Tiredness Fortified foods including

NIACIN B3 OR and feeling wholegrain cereals, animal
COBALAMIN B12 depressed protein foods such as
(ALL B VITAMINS) or irritable. meat/fish, eggs and dairy.

An
increased Folate is found in liver,
chance of green vegetables, oranges
feeling and other citrus fruits, beans
FOLATE
depressed, and fortified foods such as
particularly yeast extract (marmite) and
in older fortified breakfast cereals.
people.

An
increased
 chance of
feeling Brazil nuts, meat, fish, seeds
SELENIUM depressed and wholemeal bread.
and other
negative
mood
states.
BASIC NUTRITION PLAN

BALANCED MEALS = PROTEIN + GRAINS +

VEGETABLES + FATS

Most of your meals should be balanced, in order to get the most out of your
food and to nourish your body, inside and out. This requires consistency and
you might need to reset your brain – I certainly needed to challenge my ‘all
or nothing’ mindset.

RHIANNON ENCOURAGED ME TO THINK ABOUT THE

FOLLOWING:

• It is possible to eat well on non-running days.

• Why my body needs rest days.

• It is OK to enjoy sugar in moderation.

• You don’t have to finish everything on your plate.

• I should try to practise mindful eating: to focus on the smells, textures and
flavours of the food while I’m eating, without distraction from
technology.

PROTEINS

For example: chicken, fish, beef, Quorn, cheese, tofu, lentils, beans,
chickpeas, eggs, and protein powder
 Chicken 1 breast

White fish 150g when cooked (2 small fillets or 1 large one)

Red meat 70g when cooked (aim to have just once a week)

Oily fish 150g when cooked (approx. 1 fillet)

Beans/pulses 80g or 3 heaped tbsp when cooked

Eggs 2-3

Cheese 30g hard cheese (matchbox sized amount)

GRAINS AND CARBOHYDRATES

For example: quinoa, wholegrain rice, wholegrain pitta, buckwheat,

pearl barley, rye bread, amaranth, potato and sweet potato

Grains 75g when cooked (approx. 5-6 tbsp)

Potato 1 medium potato (200g)

FATS

Coconut oil 1 tsp

 Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp

Olives 8

Avocado ½

Seeds and nuts 1 portion is around 25–30g

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT

Fruit 80g Eat 2-3 portions per day

Vegetables 80g Eat 5 portions per day

TOP TIPS FOR STAYING FOCUSED.

• Almond milk – unsweetened and fortified or semi-skimmed/full-fat dairy

milk.

• Reduce tea to twice a day, and then drink herbal teas.

• Aim for two portions of oily fish a week (salmon, mackerel, tuna steak,
sardines). Do not exceed four portions in a week.

• Choose leaner meats, fish and vegetarian alternatives over ultra-processed

and red meat. Keep red meat to around one meal a week.

• Aim for 2 litres of water a day.

• 2–3 pieces of fruit a day.

• Half an avocado is a portion.

• Limit alcohol intake.

• Try to have some vegetarian meals every week.

AN IDEAL FOOD DAY

An ideal day will look different to everyone, but this really worked for
Ronnie. Use the choices on pages 40-41 to build your own ideal food day, or
see page 105 for the recipes.

BREAKFAST [8.30AM]

HYDRATE: Wake up, drink a glass of water and then have breakfast when
you’re ready.

• Porridge or muesli: 60g of oats with unsweetened almond milk or dairy

milk, 40g berries and a sprinkling of flaxseed.

• Smoothie: 200ml almond milk, a handful of spinach, 20g oats, 15 frozen

grapes (keep a punnet in the freezer for smoothies), 1⁄2 a banana, 1 inch
of fresh ginger, 100g yoghurt, 1/3 cucumber and 1 scoop of protein
powder.

• 2 eggs, cooked any way you like, with 1 slice of rye bread and 1/2 an
avocado.

SNACK [11AM]
For example:

• 1 small pot of Greek yoghurt (approx. 120g).

• Almonds and a piece of fruit.

• 125g edamame beans.

• 1 apple and 30g nut butter.

• 2 sausages (chicken or vegetarian).

• 2 eggs (if none in the morning).

• Oatcakes or rice cakes, with hummus.

• 1/3 of a tub of hummus (or 2 tbsp) and simple veggie sticks (for example
carrot, pepper and cucumber).

• 80g roasted chickpeas with paprika.

LUNCH [1–2PM]

Every lunch should aim to include protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and

good fats.

For example;

• 1 fillet of fish, cooked quinoa with vegetable salad and 1 tbsp extra virgin
olive oil.

• Tuna with green beans, peppers, garlic, cooked tomatoes, sweet potato
and a handful of pine nuts.

SNACK: 4–5PM
Make sure this is different from your morning snack.

DINNER [7–8PM LATEST]

Every dinner should aim to include: protein, vegetables, one portion of

carbohydrate and good fats.

If you had chicken at lunch, have fish for dinner, and vice versa – and try to
increase your variety of vegetables (like cabbage, pak choi, green beans and
spinach) at dinner.

Soups don’t have enough protein or carbohydrate in them, so add some on

the side!

DESSERT

Remember that you can eat everything in moderation. Pick a dessert you truly
love to have once a week and if you fancy something light and sweet on other
days, try a hot cocoa drink, a bowl of berries with yoghurt, or some dark
chocolate with a cup of tea. You could also try these other options
(occasionally):

• 1 bag of popcorn.

• 1 mini bar (35g) of good quality dark chocolate (85 per cent cocoa solids).

• 1 small ice cream or ice lolly.

REMEMBER TO TAKE TIME OUT AND DO

SOMETHING THAT IS NOT RELATED TO FOOD OR
EXERCISE EACH WEEK.
For me, the priority was to sort out my food intake for match days, as well as
the days before. From the plan above, we put together the ideal match-day
menu:

BREAKFAST: Porridge with oat or almond milk (unsweetened) and berries. An

hour later I would have a proper breakfast of a couple of eggs, half a slice of
rye bread and half an avocado.

SNACK: Mid-morning, I would have half a pot of hummus or some cottage

cheese as a snack.

LUNCH: Lunch would be grilled fish, with grilled veggies and sweet potato,
brown rice or salad.

SNACK: In the afternoon, I’d have another snack – an apple, a spoonful of nut
butter or a banana smoothie.

DINNER: At 6–7pm I’d have my evening meal – steak, salad and vegetables

I learned that on the day of a match I definitely shouldn’t eat too much bulk –
keeping my diet light but balanced with all food groups when I’m playing
gives me energy for the whole day. Sweet potato is my new best friend. It
keeps me full and I love the taste. It’s a carb I really enjoy eating. Now the
snacks I go for when I’m taking five at the side of the snooker table are
prawns, beetroot, bean salads and smoothies.

“NOW THE SNACKS I GO FOR

WHEN I’M TAKING FIVE AT THE
SIDE OF THE SNOOKER TABLE
ARE PRAWNS, BEETROOT, BEAN
 SALADS AND SMOOTHIES”

BRAIN GAINS
Before we started, it was important that I understood exactly which foods I
really love to eat and the impact they would have on me. If I was going to
change everything, I wanted to know exactly what benefits I’d see and how
quickly I’d see them. For me, it was all about identifying my goals early on
and knowing what I was working towards. I was looking forward to my brain
feeling fully switched on again.

CARBS = GLUCOSE = BRAIN POWER

Rhiannon gave me a list of carbohydrates that contain lots of fibre and slow-
releasing energy, and I began to incorporate them into my daily routine.

EXAMPLES OF MY GO-TO CARBOHYDRATES:

• Wholegrain bread

• Rye bread

• Oats

• Sweet potato

• Potato

• Rice
• Wholegrain rice

• Buckwheat

• Quinoa

I worked hard to make sure that my fat portions went back to a normal
amount for one person – things like half an avocado each day, instead of two
whole ones. These small steps ensured that I had a routine in place. Part of it
was about realising that, just because something is technically good for you,
it doesn’t mean you have to eat all of it!

I had occasionally tried to fast in an attempt to lose weight, but the only affect
of this was low energy and limited concentration levels, neither of which
were ideal for someone who was paid to play snooker for hours on end. The
first changes that we made to my diet were small and simple, but extremely
effective.

Having breakfast every morning was essential. This meant that I exchanged
egg white omelettes for a far superior and satisfying whole egg omelette, with
vegetables and a slice of rye bread. Before I started on the plan, I thought I
was eating way too much food, and that was why I was getting bigger. I
realised that it was actually more a case of eating the wrong things and of
erratic and unstructured eating. This is often called mindless eating, which
basically means eating without really acknowledging what you are putting
into your body, and why.

As a result of mindless eating, you end up finishing meals quickly and then
eating more than your body needs. To help combat this, porridge, eggs and
smoothies were all back on the menu, as were planned snacks, lunches and
dinners, all of which were full of colour.
BRAIN GAIN RECIPES:
Breakfast Omelette

Cinnamon Spice Overnight Oats

Rainbow Chilli Stir Fry

Jacket Sweet Potato and Homemade Beans

Baked Salmon with Fresh Chilli and Ginger

Oat Smoothie

EATING FOR BODY

My way of living hasn’t helped me over the years, especially when it came to
my attitude to food and training. I was locked in a cycle in which I would
over-eat, before punishing myself with exercise that pushed my body to the
limit. It was destructive and counter-productive – we all know that hard
training can only take you so far. In order to see the physical changes that we
want to see when we start a new regime, we have to get our food intake right.
If we don’t, there’s no chance of seeing as much improvement and we’re
more likely to give up and go back to our old ways.

I didn’t cut myself any slack. If I went for a long run I would eat well, but on
the days I didn’t run, I’d eat badly. The same approach went for the biscuit
jar or the chocolate bar: if I had one chocolate, the ‘I’ve blown it’ mindset
would kick in; I’d feel like I’d ‘failed’ and a period of binge eating would
begin, followed by a week of restrictive eating and another week of binge
eating. Without realising it, I was trapped in the vicious circle of bingeing
and then restricting. This mindset meant that I over-exercised and ran
excessively nearly every single day, in order to compensate for eating badly.
Being stuck in this mentality also meant that my eating was chaos. I was
over-exercising and following a high-fat, low-carb diet that was not fuelling
my body efficiently for my mad workouts! What I was putting in was
preventing the loss of body fat that I so badly wanted. Rhiannon basically
told me that I was malnourished, which made no sense to me – I felt heavier
than ever. But she explained that the injuries I kept on getting were from a
lack of fuel and overtraining.

Fad diets might result in some weight loss for a short period of time at the
start, but it’s a world full of broken promises. It’s not a sustainable way of
eating – it often cuts whole food groups and the nutrition everyone needs to
feel on top form. As I’ve already said, I needed carbohydrates in my diet but
wasn’t getting them, because I had decided that they made me fat. The actual
reality was that my muscles were starved of fuel and my body wasn’t
performing well. After introducing a balanced list of foods, I began to
exercise less, eat more of the right foods consistently and lose the body fat
that I was so desperate to shift.

WHEN I FIRST WENT INTO RHIANNON’S CLINIC, I

WEIGHED 14 STONE 12LBS WITH A 34-INCH WAIST
AND NOW I WEIGH 13 STONE 3LBS AND HAVE A 32-
INCH WAIST.

EXTRA NUTRITION TO SUPPORT MY

RUNNING
To get back to my running peak (which also helped my snooker), I needed to
learn how to refuel properly to prevent injury and help keep my performance
high. We discussed what types of food I should eat before and after a run to
achieve maximum results. I also realised that I needed lots of different mind-
and-body-friendly vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins are available in two forms: water-soluble and fat-soluble.

WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS are easily lost through bodily fluids and must be
replaced each day – B vitamins and vitamin C, for example.

FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS tend to accumulate within the body and are not
needed on a daily basis. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K.

We’ve identified that mindset is the biggest key to success, but it generally
comes really low down on our to-do list. For me, the key is working out what
your goals are and having a champion’s mind when it comes to achieving
them. Anyone can go to the gym and wander about for an hour, lifting
weights and hoping for the best, but it’s all about making time for your
fitness and making things consistent.

As Rhiannon taught me, it all starts with how you fuel your body: give it
nothing and you will get nothing. Motivation, goal-setting, tracking your
progress – these are all things to keep an eye on. But it all starts with what
you eat.
 “NUTRIENT INTAKE BEFORE
YOU START TRAINING WILL
HELP MAXIMISE YOUR
PERFORMANCE”

FOOD TO EAT BEFORE A RUN – CARBS,

PROTEINS, VEG AND FATS
Complex carbohydrates 2–3 hours before a run.

Nutrient intake before you start training will help maximise your
performance, in addition to making sure you don’t damage your muscles.

If you plan on training within 2–3 hours of eating, you need a substantial
amount of energy to keep you going before and during your workout.

Try opting for a healthy, balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and fat such
as:

• Scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast, with half an avocado.

• Chicken or salmon with quinoa and roasted vegetables.

Alternatively if you’re on the go, make a smoothie from milk, banana, protein
powder and oats to give you longer lasting energy.

Make sure you eat some easy-to-digest carbohydrates 1–2 hours before you
plan to train.
If you are fuelling your workout 1–2 hours before it, you don’t want to
overdo it and feel too full to exercise, but you do need to ensure you’ve
provided your body with enough energy to maximise your performance.

Try:

• Mixed fruit with Greek yoghurt and seeds.

• Banana with oatcakes and nut butter.

FOOD TO EAT AFTER A RUN
Having had more injuries than I would have liked during my career, I know
that refuelling your body after a workout is really important in aiding muscle
recovery. After exercising, your glycogen stores will be really low, so you
need to refuel them.

The best foods to refuel:

• Chicken or turkey, with sweet potato and vegetables.

• Pasta, with salmon and roasted vegetables.

• Lentil, mixed bean and white rice salad, with avocado.

White carbs like rice are great post-workout foods because they can be
accessed quickly by the body.

NUTRIENTS, NOT NUMBERS

The thing I worried about most when it came to getting healthy was that I’d
have to start keeping a long list of everything I’d eaten. The idea of counting
calories gets a big ‘no’ from me, partly because it can never be 100 per cent
accurate.

A calorie is a unit of energy – the kilocalorie that is used to measure food

energy is the amount of energy required to heat one kilogram of water by one
degree Celsius. Food calorie counts come from chemical analysis into food’s
carbohydrate, fat and protein contents, which are then added together using
the energy values for each nutrient.

While many people treat calorie estimates as concrete figures, they are only
approximations and don’t take into account individual differences in food
absorption, metabolism, or the effect of cooking a food on our ability to
digest it.
And we also need to remember the hidden stuff. Food companies do not add
sugar, fat and salt to their products for fun; they do it because we like them
and, once we start eating them, we want more. To put it simply, calories taste
good and can pop up where we least expect them. Manufacturers have spent
millions of pounds trying to make low-calorie food taste as good as high-
calorie food, but to most people’s taste buds, they’ve failed. Let’s face it; we
still reach for the biscuit tin when we want a treat.

And don’t forget that a number cannot dictate how healthy something is for
you; after all, 100 calories of broccoli and 100 calories of chocolate will
provide the body with very different nutrients.

THE BLOOD SUGAR ROLLERCOASTER

Many of us get stuck on what I call a ‘blood sugar rollercoaster’, meaning

that we end up in a vicious circle of wanting high-sugar foods and relying on
fast-releasing energy to keep us going throughout the day. These cravings
have nothing to do with willpower, but are a result of the reaction that
happens when our bodies respond to foods that are high in sugar. They make
everything go up and down, including our ability to concentrate; before you
know it, you’re going around in a circle, sabotaging your food choices and
heading for the items that can provide you with that quick sugar fix.

Maintaining a steady blood sugar level throughout the day is important for
helping your mood, energy and motivation. When your blood sugar is
suddenly high, it will later ‘crash’ back down, meaning that you’ll have mood
swings and low energy levels.

Your blood sugar level depends on the carbohydrates and sugars that you eat.
Simple carbohydrates have often been stripped of their nutritional value by
the time they make it to your plate. These include refined grains and added
sugars, which are found in foods like white bread, cakes, pre-packaged
goods, sweets and fizzy drinks. These are known as fast-releasing sugars and
they can get into your system very quickly, which is what causes the blood
sugar ‘spike’. These carbs are not bad for us but they aren’t the best choice
for eating regularly. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, brown
rice, oats and quinoa are known as slow-releasing carbohydrates, as they are
an excellent source of fibre. Fibre slows down the release of the energy
contained in the food, which means that they give you more energy, for
longer. Fruit is also packed with fibre, which slows down the release of the
sugars from the fruit, meaning it does not spike your blood sugar.

When you eat carbohydrates, your body begins to digest them and change
them into glucose, which is then sent to the blood stream. The conversion to
glucose happens to all carbohydrates but the difference between sugars,
refined grains and complex carbohydrates is how long they take to convert. I
started to learn that food with lots of fibre is the best thing for someone like
me, who has to concentrate for hours on end and who needs to stay calm and
steady – feeling my energy levels crashing is just about the worst thing that
can happen when I’m competing or watching others play!

Rhiannon taught me that foods that are high in fibre take longer to digest,
which obviously gives us lasting energy that is released into our system
throughout the day. On the other hand, simple sugars and refined grains are
broken down and converted into glucose extremely quickly, which means our
blood glucose levels will experience the ‘spike’, resulting in instant energy
that can sometimes make you feel ‘hyper’ if you don’t have enough of the
other fibre items in your meal. But this does not last for very long and you
will soon find yourself craving that sugar rush again.

SYMPTOMS OF LOW BLOOD SUGAR INCLUDE:

FATIGUE, MOOD SWINGS, IRRITABILITY,
ANXIETY, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS.

The reason why low blood sugar may result in such extreme symptoms is
because glucose is the only thing that fuels our brain. So if you are depriving
your brain of its only fuel, you are practically starving it, meaning it will
begin to malfunction. This explained a lot about my performance and also my
mood.
So how can we prevent ourselves from becoming victims of this cycle that
leads us to crave sugar? The answer is simple: we should add more fibre to
our diet and opt for whole grains where possible. Try to include more of the
starchy carbohydrates that are high in fibre, such as wholegrain rice, pasta,
bread, potatoes, quinoa, beans and lentils, and eat fewer of the high-sugar
varieties. By adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your plate,
you are effectively adding more vitamins and minerals to your diet and
helping to stabilise your blood sugar levels. This will help you focus, think
more clearly and regulate your mood.

“MAINTAINING A STEADY
BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL
THROUGHOUT THE DAY IS
IMPORTANT FOR HELPING YOUR
MOOD”

BACK TO BASICS NUTRITION

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates hold a special place in nutrition, as they provide the largest
single source of energy in the diet. Most of them get broken down or
transformed into glucose, which can be used as energy. They can also be
turned into fat, which is energy that is stored for later use. Glucose is the
essential fuel for our brains and the energy source that our muscles prefer
during strenuous exercise.

If you’ve ever been on a strict dietary regime avoiding carbohydrates, you’ll

know that it can be hard to concentrate and that you often experience severe
mood swings –this is because carbohydrates play an important role in
creating serotonin (the happy hormone) in the brain.

No matter what sport you enjoy, whether it be running, swimming, tennis or

snooker, carbohydrates are essential for maximising performance. The
amount of carbohydrate your muscles will need for energy will depend on
your training programme, as well as your dietary goals. Generally, the more
full-on your workout is, the more energy you will need; not fuelling the body
with the right amount of energy may lead to early fatigue, loss of
concentration and achy muscles. Ultimately, performance and recovery can
be maximised and supported by sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, as it is
stored in the muscles as glycogen. However, these stores are limited and need
to be ‘topped up’ regularly, in order to support regular activity.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

WHOLEGRAIN BREAD
QUINOA

BROWN RICE

BUCKWHEAT

STARCHY VEGETABLES

OATS

FRUITS

LEGUMES

There is definitely a case for reducing refined carbohydrates (the least

nutritious type – things like white bread and white pasta). You should instead
opt for complex carbohydrates, as they release their energy more slowly.
Think about ‘grains’ rather than ‘carbs’ – it’s simpler to understand and
remember.

OTHER CARBOHYDRATES

SUGARY DRINKS: Artificially sweetened drinks are some of the unhealthiest

things you can put into your body.

FRUIT JUICES: These may have similar effects to sugar-sweetened beverages,

as they lack the natural fibre that the fruit contains.

WHITE BREAD: These refined carbohydrates are often low in essential

nutrients when not fortified.

PASTRIES: These refined carbohydrates tend to be very high in sugar.

ICE CREAM: Most types are very high in sugar.

CHOCOLATE: Obviously high in sugar, but you should opt for good-quality
dark chocolate (70 per cent-plus cocoa solids) as a less unhealthy option.

FRENCH FRIES AND CRISPS: Whole potatoes are healthy, but once they are
deep-fried they are not. These foods may be fine in moderation for some, but
many of us should limit how many of them we eat.

Those who advocate a low-carb diet often claim that carbohydrates are not
essential nutrients in the diet. It’s true that the body can function without a
single gram of carbohydrate in the diet, but just because they are not essential
for survival, that doesn’t mean they aren’t beneficial. The bottom line is that
carbohydrates in their natural, fibre-rich form are healthy.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to nutrition. Your optimal carbohydrate

intake will depend on numerous factors, such as age, gender, metabolic
health and physical activity. If you are looking to lose weight or if you have
health problems like metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes, you are more
likely to be carbohydrate-sensitive, in which case, reducing carbohydrate
intake can have clear benefits. On the other hand, if you’re a healthy person
who is just trying to stay healthy, there is probably no reason for you to avoid
carbohydrates. And if you are naturally lean and physically active, then you
may even function much better with plenty of them in your diet.

PROTEIN
It’s really important to make sure you have protein throughout the day
because when you smash the exercise you are effectively breaking down your
muscles. That’s why so many gyms sell protein bars and we are used to
seeing people drinking their shakes after a big workout – it basically helps to
increase the impact of exercise.

If you eat protein before a workout, you give your body the amino acids that
help to prevent muscle breakdown. While athletes might need more protein
than the average person, one of the biggest myths regarding their intake is
that eating large amounts will result in huge muscles. Athletes who strength
train require an increased protein intake (1.2–1.7g per kg of body-weight per
day) as do endurance athletes (1.2–1.4g per kg of body-weight per day)
compared to the average person who should consume 0.8–1.0g per kg of
body-weight per day. If our desired energy requirements are being met, a
well-balanced diet will contain enough protein to meet any increased
requirements. Research has suggested that an additional 15–25g of protein
can have a number of benefits in a post-workout meal: these include boosting
glycogen storage, reducing muscle soreness and promoting muscle recovery,
but all this depends on how you are working out and how much protein you
have in your normal diet.

The best tip to obtain results more quickly is to break up the protein you eat
throughout the day. Grazing on it, rather than packing it all into one big meal,
will significantly boost protein synthesis, which is required for muscles
growth and a necessary process for maintaining strength. However, research
suggests that a healthy, balanced diet can provide the protein needed for
muscle recovery, so you don’t need to worry about expensive powders and
supplements. If you eat right, the old-fashioned way should be enough.

FAT
Fats are the most energy-dense of all the macronutrients and are essential for
healthy living. There are many different types of fat, and when you’re doing a
good workout, they play a big part in accessing the body’s stored
carbohydrate. Basically, the body needs to break the fat down and transport it
to the muscles, so it can be used as energy and boost your workout.

Learning all this from Rhiannon blew my mind – I had to get my head around
the fact that fat was not only good for you, but also that it could help sustain
energy levels throughout the day. Fat takes longer to break down into energy
that the body can use, and this is why your body uses it when it is resting.
Adding in ‘good’ fats to your diet, in addition to eating fewer refined
carbohydrates, will help your body step up its ability to burn fat for energy.

FOOD FOR PERFORMANCE:

MONOUNSATURATED AND OMEGA-3 FATS. THE
BEST SOURCES OF THESE TYPES OF FAT COME
FROM OLIVE OIL, AVOCADOS, NUTS, SEEDS AND
OILY FISH.

I couldn’t understand why you would want to eat fat if you were trying to eat
healthily. I soon realised that if you show your body that it is getting a
consistent source of fat from your diet, it will be more likely to let go of the
fat it is currently holding. Fat is energy, and your body does not want to give
up this invaluable source of fuel – we may think fat’s a total pain, but your
body thinks otherwise.
HYDRATE
Our bodies are made largely of water, so it’s understandable that every
function inside them depends on it to do its job. Cells, organs and tissue all
need water, so it’s essential that we drink up. When we have enough water
we become more efficient at losing it, through sweating and urination. The
amount of sweating I used to do was criminal, and the idea that I needed to be
taking in more water felt like a joke! But I soon realised that drinking more
water would help regulate everything. The more water I drank, the more
relaxed my body was.

Use this equation to find out your ideal daily water intake:

TAKE YOUR WEIGHT (KG) AND DIVIDE BY 30 =

THE AMOUNT OF WATER YOU NEED (LITRES)

Good hydration has been shown to enhance and keep performance steady,
which is what I was lacking, while dehydration has been linked to poor
performance, weakness and fatigue. Who knew a simple bottle of water could
have such a big impact!

In this section I’ve tried to help you get your head around the basics. I also
hope that showing you where I was will help you to see that whatever your
situation, there are things you can do to get yourself back on track. There’s
no doubt that I’d lost my way, and sitting down with Rhiannon to understand
why I ate like I did was an important first step. The next move was to look at
how I could sort myself out, and that came with looking at what I put on my
plate.
WHAT IS ON YOUR PLATE?
PLATES – WHAT SHOULD BE
ON YOURS?
We eat for many different reasons and it would be impossible to cover them
all. But in this section, I want to think about how we decide what to eat, and
what we want from it. Obviously the first answer is that we eat to not feel
hungry, but for me, eating tends to be either about helping myself to perform
to the best standard or about helping a particular bit of the body that I know
needs a bit of TLC. In this section, I want to show what you can achieve if
you put a bit of thought into your meals.

EXAMPLES OF MY PLATES:

MOOD OR MENTAL HEALTH PLATE

ON THE ROAD OR EATING OUT PLATE

GUT PLATE
FITNESS OR TRAINING DAY PLATE
PRE-TOURNAMENT OR TRAINING PLATE
FUELLING FITNESS
EATING HEALTHILY TRUMPS EXERCISE, PURE AND SIMPLE. When food and
fitness combine well together, that’s the best scenario. The problem is that
when you rely on exercise alone, it often comes back to bite you. This is
partly because of appetite hormones, which make you feel like you are
starving after exercise – this is why, no matter how much I was running, the
weight just wasn’t shifting. I would do lots of exercise, and even though I
was trying to be good with what I ate, I found myself eating too much of the
bad stuff.

What I came to realise was that if my food was good, I could train better and
see more obvious results. Doing this also meant that my head was clearer and
allowed me to nail my snooker.

I used to like working out every day to keep my head clear, but I now know
that it was excessive, and so I need a routine that allows for rest days (which
are essential for body toning, muscle repair and improving muscle definition)
and is manageable around my snooker.

MY ADVICE: BE SENSIBLE WITH YOUR GOALS FOR

INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS. ATTEMPTING A 15-MILE RUN
IN YOUR FIRST WEEK IS PROBABLY NOT THAT
CLEVER! BUT MIXING IT UP WITH 20 MINUTES OF
MODERATE INTENSITY EXERCISE (LIKE RIDING A
BIKE AND 30 MINUTES OF LOW INTENSITY
EXERCISE LIKE WALKING OR SWIMMING) WILL
MEAN YOU SEE RESULTS.

TIPS:
1. MIX IT UP.Eat a varied and balanced diet that provides your body with the
right amount of energy and essential nutrients.

2. FUEL RIGHT. Eat a variety of foods. including some that contain

carbohydrates, based on the amount of exercise you want to achieve.

3. STRIVE FOR FIVE. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day;
fresh, frozen, dried and canned all count.

4. REFUEL. If you need to recover quickly, start refuelling with carbohydrate

foods and fluids as soon as possible after exercise.

5. THINK FLUID. Ensure you are well-hydrated by drinking throughout the

day, as well as before, during and after exercise.

Sitting down and looking at my diet was the best thing I ever did, and it also
made me examine my daily routine. Once I got into the rhythm of eating on
schedule, it was time to look at how I exercised physically and mentally, and
bring it all together.

“SITTING DOWN AND LOOKING

AT MY DIET WAS THE BEST
THING I EVER DID”

MY TRAINING SCHEDULE
I get up at 7am and drink a cup of herbal tea and a glass of water, and then
eat half a slice of rye bread with nut butter. Once I’ve fuelled up, I’ll head out
for 30 minutes on a steady 4-mile run. When I hit a 7-minute mile, my heart
rate will average at 160, which is steady state training, good for keeping a
strong fitness base.

After my run, I’ll do four to eight strides of around 60–100 metres, which
means running at around 90 per cent effort and achieving a 5-minute mile
pace. I do this so I can keep the speed in my legs, which sets me up for my
next run or training session the next day. Once I’m back from the run, I’ll
stretch and loosen up.

On another day I’ll do the same thing, but then I’ll go to the boxing gym and
do some pad work or will spar with some other boxers non-stop for 20–30
minutes. This will be a heavier workout, but it’s good because it incorporates
cross-training and also complements my running.

I’ll sometimes do other types of running: I’ll warm up for 5–10 minutes and
then find a hill with a steady incline and do 8–12 repetitions of between 30
and 60 seconds, all depending on what I’m trying to achieve.

Once I’m back home, I’ll shower and eat a breakfast of porridge followed by
egg and avocado.

FITTING IN A WORKOUT
For me, exercise has to easily fit into my day and I have to be able to mix it
up a bit. You aren’t going to stick to anything that you don’t like, so the key
is to make it as enjoyable as possible.

As I am often away playing, I can’t always get to the gym and do the workout
I want, so I have to make the best of what I have. My main aim is to get my
heart rate up, that’s when you know you are doing your best work.
Sometimes if time is short and I am in a hotel room, I do my stairs workout,
which involves going up 10 flights of stairs, getting the lift back down, and
going again as many times as I can. It’s simple but very effective.

My other travelling workout includes:

 Weights
Press ups
Squats
Chest press
Gilder shoulders
Burpees
Star jumps, chest out.

If I can get to the gym, I like to give myself a proper challenge, so I throw
together lots of different exercises and see how far I can push it. My own
workout can be any number of the following exercises. You don’t have to do
loads, getting through just a few exercises is better than not doing any.

My classic go-to exercises that can make up any workout are:

Burpees
Press ups
Narrow press ups
Sit ups
Lunges
Sit ups, vi-sits
High knees
Plank

When you have more time and are in your routine, another good way to get
fit is to take up a sport: boxing, football, badminton, dancing, running. Find a
local club that does these activities and just have a go. Sometimes doing
something you enjoy is motivating; you’ll go more often if you’re having fun
and, more importantly, you’ll stick with it in the long-term. You can meet
good friends, too – you’ll be surprised how enjoyable it can be! A great class
or team run definitely beats the gym for me.
BRAIN HEALTH ON A PLATE
We all know it isn’t easy to eat ‘well’ all the time, but when we crave the bad
stuff, it’s usually our body telling us that it needs a well-balanced meal with
plenty of nutrients. In order to prepare the best food for the mind, we should
consider the foods that help with positive brain function and mood
enhancement. If you put all the food groups below on a plate, you’ll be pretty
much there.

Rather than counting calories or macronutrients, Rhiannon encouraged me to

use my hands to roughly estimate portion sizes. You only need to be careful
about measuring your portion size in the first week. After that, you’ll get an
eye for it and it won’t matter if your portions are a little over from time to
time.

1 OUTSTRETCHED PALMFUL OF PROTEIN

– for example, chicken, fish or tofu
1 HANDFUL OF CARBOHYDRATES
– for example, oats, rice or starchy fruit and vegetables
2 HANDFULS OF NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES
– for example, broccoli, spinach or peppers
1 THUMB OF HEALTHY FATS
– for example, olive oil, butter, coconut oil or nut butter

HOW THIS WORKS:

CHICKEN: Chicken is a great source of lean protein, as well as being rich in

other essential nutrients. It contains magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and
zinc, and is also a good source of vitamins A, B6, B12, D, E and K. All these
vitamins and minerals assist in maintaining a healthy immune system,
regulating digestion and providing the body with energy.
BAKED SWEET POTATO: High in vitamin A, sweet potatoes are as delicious as
they are nutritious. They are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which
provide slow-release energy, and are also rich in fibre. Combining
carbohydrates and protein also helps boost your serotonin production, which
is our feel-good hormone.

OLIVE OIL: The fatty acid in olive oil is a monounsaturated fat called oleic
acid, which has been linked with a variety of health benefits. There is a
suggestion that it reduces inflammation, reduces the risk of
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and also has beneficial
effects on genes that are linked to cancer. The monounsaturated fats in olive
oil are also fairly resistant to high heat, meaning that you don’t risk losing its
nutritional value if you choose to cook with it.

SESAME SEEDS: Seeds are a good source of the essential omega-3 fatty acid,
which is extremely important for optimum brain function. Omega-3 intake
has been linked to lessening depressive feelings. Seeds are also a great source
of zinc – acute depletion of it may cause loss of taste and appetite, and it has
also been linked to male reproductive health.

ROASTED VEGETABLES: I think adding as much colour as possible to your

plate is the key – I’ve discovered that the more variety you have on your
plate, the more micronutrients there are that benefit your gut. The gut has
been named our ‘second brain’, which indicates that if your gut bacteria are
diverse and healthy, then your brain will be too.
ON THE ROAD PLATE
It’s easy to fall off the healthy-eating wagon in the early days of a new diet.
There’s also the big question: is it harder to stay focused when you are out
and about and not cooking in your own kitchen? Lots of people find the first
few weeks of a new diet easier if they stay at home and only eat meals that
they’ve planned in advance. I know this is a way I can keep myself on track
but I also know that it doesn’t always work, especially when I’m competing,
travelling and living out of hotel rooms. It’s all about making sure you have
delicious stuff on the go – it helps you steer clear of those old habits!

HUMMUS
Hummus is a big winner for me – it’s my go-to snack, wherever I am. A small pot of it or a dollop in
a lunch box is the ideal way to add some tasty good fats to your meal, not to mention some extra fibre
and protein.

SERVES 4
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
pinch of salt and black pepper

1. Blitz the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, until it all starts to break down, then
gradually pour in the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the motor still running.

FALAFEL
Falafel travels well, unlike meat and fish, which should be kept refrigerated. They can be eaten hot
or cold and are a great source of protein. Most supermarkets sell mini pots of them and they come in
many different varieties.

MAKES 8 PATTIES
1 x 400g tin of black beans
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
1 lemon
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp plain flour
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Drain the beans and chickpeas, and blitz them in a food processor with all the ingredients apart
from olive oil, until smooth.

2. Scrape out the mixture and use wet hands to divide and shape it into 8 patties about 1.5cm thick.

3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the falafels, turning when golden and crisp.

RICE SALAD: Add some sweetcorn and a basic lettuce, tomato and cucumber
salad to some cold cooked rice. You can buy rice salad pots at most
supermarkets, but making your own is a guaranteed way to get your perfect
portion size and also lets you add some extras from the cupboard. Drizzle
with olive oil and lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

VEGETABLE STICKS: Make sticks of peppers, cucumber, carrots and celery to

have with your dip or salad. If you like your vegetables roasted, then you can
make some in advance to take with you, but you will also find bags of them
readily available in many supermarkets.

FRUIT SALAD: It’s always a good idea to get as much nutrition as possible
when you are on the road. By adding a fruit salad to a yoghurt for dessert,
you are increasing your micronutrient intake and also working towards your
five a day!
GUT HEALTH PLATE
I’ve had my fair share of stress, which often left my digestive system all over
the place. The first step to a healthy diet is to make sure the digestion system
is working properly – it’s important that it is making proper use of all the
nutrition you are putting into your body.

MACKEREL OR SALMON – Eating at least two portions of fish every week,

including one of oily fish, will help to keep your blood pressure healthy and
improve your blood lipid levels, both of which will reduce your risk of
cardiovascular disease.

Rhiannon gave me a list of gut-friendly ingredients. I don’t mind

experimenting with different flavours and spices, so we developed the recipe
opposite.

MISO AUBERGINE
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soy beans. Fermented foods are
often linked to good gut health. Miso paste can be added to soups and salad dressings, or turned into
a healthy mustard ‘miso-mayo’. Use it to coat your aubergine before you roast it in the oven in the
below recipe.

SERVES 2
2 large aubergines
3 tbsp olive oil

For the paste:

4 tbsp brown miso
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
2 tsp sesame oil
To serve
Toasted sesame seeds
Spring onions, sliced

1. Turn the grill to a high heat. Halve 2 large aubergines lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-
cross pattern.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the aubergines, flesh side down, for 5 minutes, then flip
and cook for 5 more minutes.

3. Mix the paste ingredients together in a bowl.

4. Put the aubergines on a baking tray and spread the paste on the flesh. Grill for around 4–5 minutes,
before sprinkling with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions to serve.

FISH FILLET: Wrap in baking paper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until
cooked.

SAUERKRAUT SALAD: Add sauerkraut to your daily salad for a tangy twist! The
beneficial probiotics found in it are important for good digestive health.
While more research is needed into the exact types of beneficial bacteria that
are found in sauerkraut and other fermented foods, we do know that they
‘feed’ the good bacteria in your gut and can help to combat inflammation.

WHOLEGRAIN RICE: a serving of rice would go nicely with your aubergine and
sauerkraut, and will deliver a lot of fibre, which promotes a healthy digestive
tract.

MY TOP 5 BACTERIA-FRIENDLY
(PROBIOTIC) FOODS
KEFIR: Kefir is a fermented probiotic milk drink that is made by adding kefir
grains to cow’s or goat’s milk. Kefir grains are not cereal grains, but rather
cultures of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Kefir contains several major strains
of ‘friendly bacteria’ and yeast, and like yoghurt, it is generally tolerated by
people who are lactose intolerant.

SAUERKRAUT: Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented

by lactic acid bacteria. In addition to its probiotic qualities, sauerkraut is rich
in fibre, as well as vitamins B, C and K. It is also high in sodium and contains
iron and manganese, as well as the antioxidants that are important for eye
health. Always choose unpasteurised sauerkraut, as pasteurisation kills the
live and active bacteria. A very traditional food, it is popular in many
European countries.

YOGHURT: Yoghurt is made from milk that has been fermented by friendly
bacteria. It can be better than milk for people with a lactose intolerance,
because the bacteria turn some of the lactose into lactic acid, which is what
gives it its sour taste. However, not all yoghurt contains live probiotics – in
some cases they are killed during processing. Choose yoghurt with active or
live cultures and always read the label, because many low-fat or fat-free
yoghurts are often full of sugar.

KIMCHI: Kimchi is a fermented and spicy side dish that is popular in Korea.
Cabbage is usually the main ingredient, but it can also be made from other
vegetables. It contains lactic acid bacteria, including lactobacillus kimchii.
Kimchi made from cabbage is high in vitamins and minerals, including
vitamin K, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and iron.

KOMBUCHA: Kombucha is a tea drink fermented by a friendly bacteria and

yeast. It is consumed in many parts of the world, and especially in Asia.
There are many claims that it is good for health, though high-quality evidence
is lacking. However, as it is fermented with bacteria and yeast, it is likely to
have health benefits as a result of its probiotic properties.

MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND
GUT HEALTH
Much of the information surrounding gut health is confusing and hard to
understand. Before I began to learn about food, I didn’t have any idea that the
gut was so complicated and that it has such a big effect on how we feel – it
definitely affected my mood and energy levels. Here are some of the most
frequent misconceptions of gut health, as well as some clarifications.

GLUTEN
There has been a lot of discussion about gluten being ‘bad’ for our gut health.
Gluten is a protein that is found in most grains, including wheat, barley, rye
and oats. It has been portrayed as a big problem, due to the misconception
that carbohydrates make you fat. Many people have also started self-
diagnosing themselves with a gluten intolerance. This has led to a rise in
products that are free from gluten, though many gluten-free products are high
in sugar and contain less nutrients, due to lower levels of fibre and fat.

But the reality is that research shows that only 1–7 per cent of the population
are actually affected by non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, and only 1–2 per cent
are diagnosed with coeliac disease. Coeliac disease requires the strict
avoidance of gluten in any food, and even cross-contamination can cause gut
problems. Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity means small amounts are often
acceptable.

“CONSUMING VEGETABLES IS
ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO
IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH”

In truth, our bodies benefit from whole grains – they aid brain functioning,
give us energy and improve gut health. Therefore, you shouldn’t avoid foods
that contain gluten, unless you really need to.
CHARCOAL
It might sound strange, but charcoal is another supplement that has gained a
lot of attention recently, though there’s not actually any evidence that it
benefits us. While it’s said to absorb the toxins in the gut, it could also be
absorbing all the good nutrients we want our bodies to have.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

We need to eat fruit and vegetables on a daily basis and consuming a variety
of them is key, as each one contains different nutrients. Consuming
vegetables is one of the best ways to improve your gut health; rather than
taking a probiotic supplement, save your money and stock your fridge with
fruit and vegetables. Dietary fibre can be found in nuts, legumes, fruit and
vegetables. Try increasing your intake of onions, garlic, chicory and figs to
aid gut health. I’m not telling you to become vegetarian or vegan, but
introducing more vegetables can increase your nutrient intake and make your
gut healthier. Why not try meat-free Monday and see how your gut feels?

FITNESS PLATE

PORRIDGE, WALNUTS, BERRIES, ALMOND

MILK AND FLAXSEED
This is my go-to plate after a run, when I need to re-fuel my body.

SERVES 1
50g rolled oats (or use jumbo oats)
40g berries of your choice
1 banana, thinly sliced
250ml milk of your choice (I like almond milk)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
A handful of chopped walnuts
A sprinkle of flaxseed

1. Put the oats, half of the sliced banana and the milk in a small pan. Cook over a medium heat for 3–
5 minutes until the porridge is creamy and has thickened, stirring regularly.

2. Transfer to a bowl and top with the rest of the banana, the berries, the nuts and sprinkle with the
cinnamon.

“IF YOU NEED TO RECOVER

QUICKLY, START REFUELLING
WITH CARBOHYDRATE FOODS
AND FLUIDS AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE AFTER EXERCISE”

PRE-TOURNAMENT PLATE

ROASTED FISH WITH BAKED SWEET

POTATO
What I eat before a match has undergone the biggest transformation since I began my new nutrition
plan. I think about what I need in a totally different way now, and it means that I approach matches
with a calm focus and a clear head. My favourite dish to eat before a match is fish with roasted
vegetables, green salad with avocado and a baked sweet potato.

For the fish

1 fillet of sea bass (or cod or haddock)
1 tsp olive oil
A pinch of salt
1 tsp mixed herbs

For the roasted vegetables

1 red pepper
1 red onion
½ aubergine
1 courgette
80g carrots
80g cherry tomatoes
1 tsp paprika

For the sweet potato

1 sweet potato
1 tsp butter (optional)

To serve
1 bag of mixed salad leaves
½ avocado
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A lemon wedge
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Pierce the potato and put it in the oven for 50 minutes.

3. Chop the vegetables into small chunks and spread them evenly on a baking tray.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, before placing in the oven for 40 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare your green salad. Add the leaves, avocado, salt, olive oil and a squeeze of
 lemon juice to a large bowl and mix well. Top with balsamic vinegar.

6. When there is 10 minutes of cooking time for the roasted vegetables remaining, heat the olive oil in
a non-stick frying pan.

7. Once the pan is hot, season the fish with salt and place in the pan skin-side down, pressing down on
the fillets to ensure the skin cooks evenly.

8. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the skin is golden, and then carefully turn the fish over and cook for
another minute. When the flesh is opaque, the fish is cooked.

9. Remove the potato from the oven. Slice it in half, and serve with a small amount of butter, some
roasted vegetables and your salad.

10. Don’t forget that leftover roasted vegetables will keep in an airtight container for the next day!

MINDFUL EATING
Eating can also have an effect on the gut. Our brain is directly connected to
our thoughts, and a happy mind typically means a happy gut. In order to eat
mindfully, try to focus on what you are doing and avoid distractions, whether
that’s the television or your phone. Instead, just focus on the food you are
eating, what it is giving you and what it tastes like. By introducing this sort of
mindful eating you will not only find that you enjoy your food more, but also
that your gut will be able to digest the food more easily, making you feel
healthier and happier all round.

This was one of the things I tried to do right at the start, and it took a lot of
practice! Part of my problem was that, before, I’d just load up my plate and
eat at 100 miles an hour. I never thought about what I needed to play my best
snooker or to feel the best I could. I didn’t ever think about what food would
keep me going and release its energy slowly to help me focus. I didn’t
understand why I needed to make better choices, so just ate what was put in
front of me, or what came around on the trolley before and during matches –
there’s not a lot that’s healthy on there, believe me!

Rhiannon taught me that digestion is a very complex thing and involves a

series of hormonal signals that work across the gut and our nervous system.
Most evidence suggests that it takes around 20 minutes for the brain to
acknowledge when we are feeling full, which explains why when someone
eats too quickly, they can carry on eating a lot more. That was definitely me!

She also explained that research is increasingly recommending mindful

eating, and that slower and more thoughtful eating can help with weight
problems. This idea is based on the Buddhist approach to mindfulness, which
involves being fully aware of what is happening within and around you.
Similar techniques have even been used to help relieve stress and sort out
problems like high blood pressure and chronic gastrointestinal difficulties.

Here are a few examples of things you can do to get started and to be more
engaged when you eat:

• Acknowledge colours, flavours, textures and smells.

• Chew food slowly.

• Lose the TV or mobile phone at mealtimes.

• Learn skills to cope with anxiety and guilt around food.

• Make realistic goals.

• Mindfully sit down for meals, and try making an effort to plate or present
your food differently.

• Chew your food for 30 seconds on the first bite, thinking about its texture
and taste.

• Keep kitchen counters clear of all foods, apart from healthy ones.

• Avoid eating directly from a packet, and always pre-portion food.

• Eat something hot within the first hour of waking up.

• Avoid going more than 3–4 hours without eating anything.

• Put down your knife and fork between bites, to help slow down your
eating.
STAYING ON TOP OF YOUR GAME.

CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE AND CHANGE YOUR

BODY: WHAT I KNOW NOW

THE RUNNING WAS SOMETHING THAT I’D HID BEHIND, but once I got my head
around the fact that good health is 80 per cent diet, it was like a light bulb
moment. The main thing was realising that, even if I have the odd slip up, I
can nip it in the bud the next day. Before, a bad day would become a bad
month, but now I can have a little bit of bread and butter pudding and stop,
without eating two!

IT WAS GREAT THAT RESULTS OF MY NEW REGIME HAPPENED QUICKLY, because

if the penny doesn’t drop immediately with me, I find it hard to stick to
anything – I’d prefer to do something my way, until you can convince me
that your way is the right way!

A HEALTHY DIET IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU EAT, the amount of it you eat and
how many times a week you eat it.

SUGAR IS BEST IN SMALL AMOUNTS; I have cut down on it and now opt for
unsweetened and fortified versions of the sweet plant-based milks I used to
drink – lots of them contain added sugar, and I had no idea!

‘HEALTHY’ OPTIONS CAN BE COMPLETELY DECEPTIVE. I was eating two

avocados every day, but I ended up losing my mind as I wasn’t getting any
carbohydrates to feed my brain. Imagine trying to be a professional snooker
player who can’t concentrate!
I THINK MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD HAS PROBABLY ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT
INDULGENCE and something I used to fix my ‘snooker depression’. I love
what I do, but the game sometimes gets to me and can make me feel stressed
and anxious if I’m not performing well. I realise now that I used to turn to
food to make me feel better if practice wasn’t going well, or as a crutch if I
lost a match. I’d often need something to settle me down; it could be food,
drink, exercise – anything to take the edge off. In my mind, if I was eating
extra food rather than taking drugs, I was doing well, and I’d pat myself on
the back for taking the ‘healthy’ choice. I thought I wasn’t doing harm to
myself, but I was.

IT’S ALL ABOUT GAINING CONTROL over situations that could have been
uncontrollable – and that’s what this plan has given me. I won four
tournaments, back-to-back, in the six months after starting this plan; I don’t
just put that down to ability – it’s all about my frame of mind and the good
foods that were feeding my brain.

I FEEL SO MUCH YOUNGER! Recently I did twelve weeks on the road and after
eight weeks, 26 year olds were telling me that they were exhausted, burnt out
and lacking focus, while I felt as fresh as a daisy! Obviously winning snooker
matches was helping, but my mindset was on point and that was all thanks to
my diet – the food I was eating was keeping me sharp.

IT’S NOT ABOUT FALLING DOWN – it’s about getting up again, and I’m good at
that.

MY KITCHEN TIPS
• Consistency is the key, so stick to your plan.

• Keep a food diary. If I eat too many biscuits, I make a note and put a sad
face next to it, because that’s how I feel afterwards!

• Rice is a staple food in my diet but it’s a total pain to cook every day. I
cook a big batch that will last me two to three days.

• At the start of each day I think, ‘What’s the thing that’s going to take the
most time to prepare?’ and I make sure I do that first. Little changes like
this will help you manage your time.
• Pre-mix your favourite spice blends in big batches to save time – you can
then label and freeze them, either in big portions or in ice cube trays.

• Batch cook your main meals with extra portions and freeze some of them
for another time.

• Write a weekly shopping list, planning your meals and snacks for the
week ahead.

• Keep the shelf where you keep herb and spices well-stocked – it’s so easy
to give food a bit of a kick with some crushed chilli or other spices.
CONCLUSION
We live in a culture where everyone is stretched and stressed, but if we
remember that the effort is ours to make, we can carve out the life we want. I
don’t want people to read this book and think, ‘It’s okay for him to preach –
he probably has a chef, a driver and a personal trainer’. I don’t actually have
people to do things for me – I train myself, cook my own food and look after
my kids. Being healthy and there for my kids is what matters most to me;
everything else, snooker included, comes second.

No one will die if you don’t answer your emails immediately – sometimes I
just leave my phone in my car’s glovebox and try to get away from the all-
consuming noise, or I write a single email at the end of a day that rounds
everything up. I have realised that I need peace of mind and focus in order to
train and exist. To relax, I love to turn off my phone, cook and enjoy some
quiet time.

I put my mind and my health first now – no one else is going to care about
me more than I do, which is something I’ve learned the hard way. You need
to care about yourself, it’s just about finding the best people to help you do
that. Don’t get sucked into these faddy diets with their impossible promises;
what you need is expert advice. I’m so grateful to Rhiannon for teaching me
what I needed to know, and I hope I can help you now by passing on what
I’ve learned.

RECIPES WITH RHIANNON

Remember, it’s impossible to eat perfectly (whatever that means to you) all
the time, but as soon as you’ve grasped the idea of nourishing your mind and
body, soon enough, the tips and tricks Ronnie has learned with me will
become second nature to you, helping you to become the healthiest version of
yourself.

I really do believe that getting back to basics and keeping nutrition simple is
the easiest way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, Ronnie and I want you to
eat foods that help you to feel good and keep you energised, all while
enjoying every morsel of food you eat.

The recipes I have created, inspired by Ronnie’s travels and love for food
from all around the world, don’t make for a new diet, they’re just full of
nutrient-rich, energy-sustaining foods that’ll keep you going all day long.

You’ll find his favourite fry-ups, curries, pizzas and all sorts of foods you
may think are typically unhealthy. Far from being disastrous for your body,
these will quickly become your go-to meals, made with satisfying and fresh
ingredients that won’t break the bank. What’s more, they’re balanced with
nutrition at their core, and with both meat and vegetarian options, they’ll
satisfy your body’s every need without using numbers to guide you.
RECIPES
BREAKFAST
FRESH BREAKFAST BOWL
Don’t be put off by its vivid green colour – this breakfast bowl tastes incredible and is full of power
foods that will help you get through the day.

SERVES 1
1 banana
2 handfuls of spinach
½ ripe avocado
220ml milk of your choice
100g oats
6 ice cubes

Toppings:
80g fresh berries
20g dried coconut flakes
30g mixed nuts

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth.

2. Serve topped with the fresh berries, coconut flakes and mixed nuts.
BANANA PORRIDGE
Bananas are a great source of energy and add a natural sweetness to your morning porridge.
Walnuts contain more omega-3 fatty acids than any other nuts, making this porridge both tasty and
nutritious.

SERVES 1
60g oats
½ tsp cinnamon
220ml milk of your choice
1 banana
30g walnuts, chopped

1. Heat the oats, cinnamon and milk in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until creamy.

2. Cut the banana in two. Mash one half of it and mix into the porridge. Cut the other half into thin
slices and set aside.

3. Once the oats are cooked, pour into a bowl and top with the sliced banana and chopped walnuts.

BERRY PORRIDGE
You just can’t go wrong with porridge – it’s so simple and speedy to make. If you don’t have fresh
berries, frozen ones work nicely, too – just grab a handful from the freezer and either stir them into
the porridge as it’s cooking or scatter them on top at the end.

SERVES 1
60g oats
220ml almond milk
A scoop of protein powder
80g mixed fresh berries

1. Heat the oats, almond milk and protein powder in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until creamy.

2. Pour into a bowl and top with the mixed berries.

GINGERBREAD PORRIDGE
You can use any milk you like in this porridge – we especially like using oat milk. If, like Ronnie and
me, you like a bit of spice, this will be the breakfast for you! It feels like a warming and sweet treat
but doesn’t contain any refined sugar.

SERVES 1
60g oats
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
220ml milk of your choice
A handful of pecan nuts, roughly chopped (optional)
1 tsp honey (to serve)

1. Heat the oats, ground ginger, cinnamon and milk in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until
creamy.

2. Pour into a bowl, top with the nuts and drizzle with honey.

CHOCOLATE PORRIDGE
Who doesn’t love chocolate? This porridge is one of Ronnie’s favourites – it’s full of cocoa but it’s
still healthy, with lots of fibre to keep you full until lunchtime.

SERVES 1
60g oats
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 banana, mashed
220ml almond milk
A handful of dried coconut flakes (optional)

1. Heat the oats, cocoa powder, mashed banana and milk in a saucepan over a low heat, and stir until
creamy.

2. Pour into a bowl and top with the coconut flakes.

CHEESE PORRIDGE
Not everyone likes a sweet start to the morning, and this cheesy porridge is an amazing alternative.
Ronnie says it tastes like dough balls with melted cheese!

SERVES 1
60g oats
220ml milk of your choice
1 tbsp lemon juice
30g Cheddar, grated
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oats and milk in a saucepan over a low heat, and stir until creamy. Add the lemon juice
and grated Cheddar and continue to stir, until the cheese melts.

2. Pour into a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

EGG MUFFINS
These muffins are a good source of protein and a great way to get some vegetables into your diet.
They can be served warm from the oven or eaten cold on the go, making them really convenient on
the days where you don’t have much time.

SERVES 3
6 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
¼ onion, finely chopped
30g tomatoes, diced
¼ red pepper, finely chopped
6 button mushrooms, sliced
A handful of spinach, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Grease 6 muffin tin holes with olive oil. Beat the eggs and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, pepper, mushrooms
 and spinach.

4. Cook for 5–10 minutes until the vegetables become soft and take off the heat. Pour over the eggs
and mix well.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin.

6. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the eggs are set. Allow to cool for 10–15 minutes before
serving.

BREAKFAST PANCAKES
Ronnie loves pancakes and wanted to create something that he could eat every morning without
compromising his health. We devised this simple and nourishing recipe that will also provide some of
your five a day.

SERVES 1
1 egg
1 banana, mashed
80g spelt flour
1 tsp cinnamon
100ml almond milk
80g blueberries
1 tbsp coconut oil
80g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp honey

1. Combine the egg, banana, flour, cinnamon and almond milk in a bowl, and whisk until smooth. Stir
half the blueberries into the mixture.

2. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and grease with coconut oil. Spoon the mixture onto the
pan, making small pancakes.

3. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden.

4. Stack the pancakes on a plate and serve with the Greek yoghurt, the rest of the blueberries and a
drizzle of honey.
GRANOLA
Granola doesn’t have to be full of sugar to taste great, and it will last for about a week in an airtight
container. Serve it in a bowl with Greek yoghurt, some berries and topped with a drizzle of honey.

SERVES 2
160g oats
15g pumpkin seeds
30g almonds
30g cashews
30g walnuts
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp honey
50g raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine all the ingredients, except the raisins, in a bowl.
Use your hands to mix well, coating everything in the coconut oil and honey.

3. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking tray in a thin layer and bake in the oven for 20 minutes,
stirring after 10 minutes to ensure that the ingredients toast evenly.

4. Allow to cool and mix in the raisins.

5. Serve with milk or yoghurt.

CHIA SEED RASPBERRY JAM ON TOAST

Chia seed jam has been a revelation for Ronnie – it contains far less refined sugar than shop-bought
jam and is also far tastier. It’s delicious on toast, muffins, yoghurt or in your porridge.

SERVES 4
200g raspberries
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp chia seeds
2 slices of wholemeal toast

1. Set a saucepan over a medium heat and add the raspberries, maple syrup and lemon juice.

2. Bring the mixture to the boil, and continue to heat until it begins to break down and has a saucy
consistency – this should take around 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the chia seeds and let the jam cook for another minute or so. Stir again, remove from the
heat and leave it to thicken, which will take about 10 minutes.

4. Serve the jam hot or cold on wholemeal toast.

5. To store, place in a sterilised jam jar or other airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to
two weeks.
BREAKFAST OMELETTE
This omelette is one of the first things that I showed Ronnie how to make. It’s a great way to get
more vegetables in your diet and is now a firm favourite in his household. Don’t be afraid to get
creative and add any leftover vegetables that are lurking in the fridge!

SERVES 1
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 small mushrooms, sliced
20g mozzarella or Cheddar cheese, grated
A handful of spinach

1. Whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper and set aside. Set a frying pan over a medium heat and
grease with olive oil.

2. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and cook for a minute or so, until the edges start to set. Add the
sliced mushrooms, grated cheese and spinach.

3. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the centre begins to set. Fold the omelette in half and leave on
the heat for another minute or so, and then slide it onto a plate.
FRENCH TOAST
This is the ultimate weekend breakfast and Ronnie always looks forward to it the morning after a
match. It contains fibre, fruit and healthy fat, and there’s plenty of protein in the nut butter and
eggs. It may seem indulgent, but it contains everything he needs before he goes on a late-morning
run.

SERVES 2
4 slices of wholemeal bread
½ banana, thinly sliced
2 tbsp peanut butter
60ml almond milk
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
80g fresh berries

1. First, make two peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

2. Then, whisk together the almond milk, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into a
container large enough to fit the sandwiches and soak each one on both sides for about 10 seconds.

3. Preheat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and grease with the coconut oil, to prevent the
sandwiches from sticking. Cook each one for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until golden.

4. Cut each sandwich in half, drizzle with maple syrup and finish with the fresh berries.
BANANA AND CINNAMON BREAKFAST
COOKIES
If you’re too busy to make breakfast, we have the answer! Make a batch of these at the weekend and
keep them in an airtight container – they will ensure you can eat a healthy breakfast on the go!

SERVES 4
220g oats
2 ripe bananas, mashed
120g unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, until combined.

3. Divide the mixture into around 12 cookie shapes on the prepared baking tray, spaced well apart.

4. Bake for 20–25 minutes in the oven, until golden.

5. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes before eating.

BANANA BREAD
The smell of freshly baked banana bread is second-to-none, and this recipe is so easy to make. You
can enjoy it either on its own or topped with a dollop of yoghurt and peanut butter. If you have any
overripe bananas in your fruit bowl, this is the perfect way to use them up.

SERVES 6
240g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
50g honey
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g Greek yoghurt
50g walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6.

2. Line a 1-litre bread tin with baking paper, or alternatively grease with coconut oil.

3. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed
banana, honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and yoghurt until the mixture is smooth.

4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and add the chopped walnuts.

5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, until it is firm to the
touch. If a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, it’s ready.

6. Allow to cool for 10–15 minutes and serve hot or cold.

POACHED EGGS ON RYE BREAD WITH
AVOCADO
This is a simple and tasty breakfast or brunch that will please everyone. It’s great with any bread but
we’ve used rye bread here – because it’s sturdy, your eggs and avocado will sit nicely on the toast.

SERVES 1
2 slices of rye bread
2 eggs
½ avocado
½ tsp smoked paprika
Salt

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, toast the rye bread for 3–4 minutes.

2. With the water on a light boil, break the eggs into a ramekin and gently pour each one into the
water.

3. Time the eggs for 3 ½–4 minutes.

4. Mash the avocado onto the toast.

5. Scoop the eggs out of the water – they should still feel soft in the middle, though the whites should
be solid – and place on top of the avocado.

6. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and a pinch of salt.

CINNAMON MUESLI
This muesli is wonderful on its own or sprinkled on top of fruit and yoghurt.

SERVES 6
400g oats
100g mixed seeds
150g walnuts, chopped
100g dried cranberries
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake well.

2. Serve with either milk or natural yoghurt.

FLATBREAD AND HUMMUS

We wanted to think outside the box and include a breakfast idea that was a bit different! This
hummus is simple and tasty and goes fantastically with homemade flatbreads, making a great snack
or a tasty addition to a main meal.

SERVES 4
For the flatbread:
250g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
250g natural yoghurt

For the hummus:

400g chickpeas
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in the yoghurt. Mix with your hands or a
spoon, until it forms a dough-like mixture.

2. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 2–3 minutes. Separate it into 6 pieces and roll
them into circles.

3. Heat a large frying pan and add one flatbread at a time, cooking for 2 minutes on each side, before
removing from the pan and allowing to cool.

4. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. For a smoother hummus, remove the skins from the chickpeas.

5. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend for 1–2
minutes until the mixture is completely smooth.

6. Transfer to a bowl and serve with the flatbreads.

BREAKFAST PITTA SANDWICH

This savoury breakfast is a really handy option. You can make it the night before and keep it in the
fridge, so it’s ready to grab in the morning.

SERVES 1
1 wholemeal pitta bread
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
30g feta, crumbled
4 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 handful of spinach leaves

1. Toast the pitta bread and then slice it along the long side, so you can fill it.

2. Beat the eggs in a cup. Heat a small saucepan over a medium heat, greasing with olive oil.

3. Pour the eggs into the pan and scramble them. Once they begin to cook, add the feta, tomatoes and
spinach leaves.

4. Continue to stir the mixture until cooked and then use it to fill the pitta bread pocket.
PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE
A smoothie can be the quickest way to get some goodness before you leave the house in the morning.
This peanut butter version tastes a bit like ice cream – it’s completely delicious!

SERVES 1
1 banana
100ml milk of your choice
60g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
2 tbsp peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
½ tsp cinnamon
5 ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into a glass.

GREEN SMOOTHIE
Don’t be put off by the vegetables that are in this smoothie – the banana and berries overpower the
taste of the kale and spinach, making it a wonderful way of incorporating more veg into your diet
without you even noticing!

SERVES 1
1 banana
A handful of spinach
A handful of kale
40g blueberries
40g oats
100ml coconut water
5 ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE
If you want to vary your morning routine, give this smoothie a try. Ronnie is a big fan of trying
different flavours and often makes this fruity concoction.

SERVES 1
1 orange, peeled
1 banana, peeled
200ml coconut water
60g mango, cut into chunks
60g pineapple, cut into chunks
1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed
5 ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.

BERRY SMOOTHIE
This smoothie is a delicious and nourishing way to enjoy your breakfast. Frozen berries are more
cost-effective than fresh ones and retain all the nutritional benefits.

SERVES 1
1 banana
200ml almond milk
80g mixed berries
1 tsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed
5 ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.

STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE

A delicious fruity start to the day, this smoothie is rich in Vitamin C and fibre, which helps to keep
you fit and healthy.

SERVES 1
1 banana
40g oats
40g mango, cut into chunks
40g strawberries
1 tbsp honey
5 ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.

CLASSIC OVERNIGHT OATS

Overnight oats are a great option for hurried mornings. Just pop them in the fridge the night before
you want them for breakfast and you can eat them on the way to work.

SERVES 1
50g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
150ml milk of your choice
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp honey

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until combined and spoon into an airtight jar.

2. Leave in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) before eating.

CINNAMON SPICE OVERNIGHT OATS

If you’re in need of a delicious, cooling treat to start your day, these cinnamon spice overnight oats
will transform your morning routine. Prepare them the night before and top with extra fruit for extra
sweetness.
SERVES 1
50g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
150ml milk of your choice
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined and spoon into an airtight jar.

2. Leave in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) before eating.

CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT OVERNIGHT

OATS
The flavours of chocolate and coconut go really nicely together. Try throwing in some additional
berries if you have any in the fridge!

SERVES 1
50g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
150ml coconut milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp dried coconut flakes

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined and spoon into an airtight jar.

2. Leave in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) before eating.
APRICOT OVERNIGHT OATS
Grab-and-go breakfasts can be essential when you have a hectic schedule. Apricots are an excellent
source of Vitamin A and a good source of Vitamin C to help keep you healthy.

SERVES 1
50g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
150ml milk of your choice
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
40g dried apricots, chopped

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined and spoon into an airtight jar.

2. Leave in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) before eating.

CARROT CAKE OVERNIGHT OATS

These speedy and delicious oats really do taste like carrot cake – who says breakfast needs to be
boring?

SERVES 1
50g Greek yoghurt
40g oats
150ml milk of your choice
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 carrot, grated
30g raisins
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined and spoon into an airtight jar.
2. Leave in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) before eating.
LUNCH
RONNIE AND RHIANNON’S HOMEMADE
PIZZA
Pizza can be a balanced and healthy meal, if you use the right toppings and cook them from scratch.
And making your own bases doesn’t have to be complicated – you can get the whole family involved,
or maybe even listen to music while you cook!

SERVES 2

For the pizza dough:

250g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
250g natural yoghurt

For the pizza topping:

150ml passata
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 large tomatoes, sliced
A handful of basil, chopped
125g mozzarella, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Line a baking try with baking paper.

3. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, and then stir in the yoghurt.

4. Mix either with your hands or a spoon until you start to achieve a dough-like mixture.

5. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 4–5 minutes. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough
into 2 large circles.

6. Mix the passata with the tomato paste, spread the mixture across each pizza base and add your
toppings.

7. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the base is golden.
8. Remove from the oven, cut into slices and serve.

RAINBOW CHILLI STIR FRY

Having spent a lot of time playing snooker in China, Chinese food is one of Ronnie’s favourite
cuisines. He loves spice, but feel free to use as much or as little chilli as you like in this stir fry!

SERVES 2
A small bunch of fresh coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh red chilli
200g chicken (or tofu for vegan option)
1 tbsp olive oil
50g cashew nuts
2 carrots, peeled and cut into julienne strips
80g broccoli, chopped
200g wholewheat noodles, cooked
2 tbsp soy sauce
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

1. Chop the coriander leaves finely. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Deseed and finely slice the chilli.
Cut the chicken into strips (or, if using tofu, cut into small squares).

2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, greasing with the olive oil. Add the cashew nuts,
fry until lightly toasted and place on a plate.

3. Add the chicken (or tofu) to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, broccoli and
the cooked noodles. Add the soy sauce and stir until the chicken is completely cooked.

4. Remove from the heat and add to 2 bowls. Add the toasted nuts to each and finish off with
coriander, chilli, black pepper and sesame seeds.
BLACK BEAN BURRITOS
We all lead busy lives and sometimes we get stuck in a rut, so I gave Ronnie some recipes for quick
and simple burritos that he can take to snooker practice. These black bean ones taste amazing and
are really quick to prepare.

SERVES 2
1 tbsp olive oil
½ garlic clove, crushed
200g black beans, drained
100g red kidney beans, drained
100ml water
½ tsp chipotle chilli powder
80g chopped plum tomatoes
2 tbsp red onion, thinly sliced
2 large wholemeal wraps
50g Cheddar, grated
2 tbsp soured cream
2 tbsp tomato salsa
40g romaine lettuce, shredded
1 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, black beans and kidney beans to the
pan, add water and bring to boil. Stir in the chipotle chilli powder, add the tomatoes and onion, and
simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the tortilla wraps in the microwave for 30 seconds and lay them on a plate.

3. Divide the bean mixture between the wraps and top each one with grated cheddar, soured cream,
salsa and the shredded lettuce, before folding into a wrap.
JACKET SWEET POTATO AND HOMEMADE
BEANS
Ronnie loves a comforting meal and this classic ‘spud and beans’ recipe is one of his favourites.

SERVES 2
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, diced
200g haricot beans, drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp paprika
50ml water
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes, before piercing each one several times with a fork. Bake in the oven for
1 hour, until they feel soft.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat and add the
carrots. Cook for 5–10 minutes until soft.

4. Add the beans, tomato and paprika, and cook for a further 5 minutes until the tomatoes have
softened. Stir in the water and Worcestershire sauce, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally.

5. Turn the heat off and cover to keep warm. When the sweet potatoes are ready, split them open and
dish the beans out evenly across each one.

BAKED FISH WITH HERBS

Simple, healthy and ready in less than five minutes, this is an excellent dish to cook when you’re
short of time.

SERVES 2
2 cod fillets (skin on)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp thyme leaves
A pinch of sea salt
½ tsp crushed black peppercorns
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper and place the cod fillets on it, skin side down.

3. In a bowl, mix together the rosemary, thyme, sea salt and crushed black peppercorns, then spread
the mixture across each fillet of fish. Drizzle with the olive oil, scatter the lemon slices across the
top of each fish and fold the sides of the parchment paper over, creating a parcel for the fish.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
MANGO, PRAWN AND AVOCADO SALAD
This refreshing salad is wonderful by itself or as part of a bigger meal; it requires very little fuss, but
packs in a lot of flavour.

SERVES 2
200g cooked tiger prawns
1 mango, chopped into cubes
1 avocado, sliced
1 lime
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp avocado oil
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded

1. Place the prawns in a bowl with the chopped mango and avocado.

2. Add the zest and juice of half the lime to a bowl.

3. Mix with chilli, honey and oil. Cut the other half of the lime into wedges. Drizzle the dressing over
the prawns, avocado and mango.

4. Serve on a bed of iceberg lettuce with a wedge of lime.

CHICKEN KEBABS
There’s nothing more satisfying than a juicy kebab that’s bursting with flavour. These are Ronnie’s
favourites and can be eaten hot or cold.

SERVES 4

12 wooden skewers
2 garlic cloves
140g natural yoghurt
60ml passata
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
4 skinless chicken breasts
½ red pepper
½ green pepper

1. Place the wooden skewers in cold water to soak, which will stop them from burning.

2. Peel the garlic and grate into a mixing bowl. Add the yoghurt, passata, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil,
the ground ginger, paprika, turmeric and garam masala and mix well.

3. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and add to the bowl. Toss the chicken to marinate
and leave in the fridge for 2 hours. In the meantime, chop the peppers into bite-sized chunks.

4. Remove the skewers from the cold water and dry them.

5. Once the chicken is marinated, divide across the skewers, threading a piece of pepper for every
piece of chicken (not too close together).

6. Place on a baking tray and cook under the grill for 10–15 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes.

7. Serve with a green salad and pickled red onions.

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH WITH GREEK

YOGHURT
This recipe takes a classic sandwich but adds more of the good stuff – the filling! I know a sandwich
can often lack protein and vegetables, so we developed a few twists.

SERVES 1
1 cooked chicken fillet, shredded
30g dried cranberries
½ apple, finely chopped
50g Greek yoghurt
2 large lettuce leaves
2 slices of wholemeal bread

1. Place the chicken, cranberries, apple and Greek yoghurt in a bowl and mix together.

2. Place the mixture on a slice of bread and top with the lettuce leaves.

3. Top with the second piece of bread and cut in half.

TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA WRAPS
What could be better than pizza? How about a tasty wrap that’s like a pizza but you can take it
anywhere.

SERVES 2
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano
80g spinach
50g mozzarella, sliced
2 wholemeal wraps

1. Combine the tomatoes, basil, oregano and spinach in a bowl.

2. Place the wraps flat on a plate and add the tomato. Mix evenly across each one.

3. Divide the mozzarella between the wraps and fold them up.
RONNIE’S PAELLA
Ronnie has loved paella ever since his best mate taught him to cook it and this recipe is a firm
favourite in his household. Feel free to add any vegetables you like.

SERVES 2
1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
14 button mushrooms, sliced
200g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp turmeric
200g wholegrain rice
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
500ml chicken stock
80g frozen peas
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Lemon wedges

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and
fry for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and fry for another 2–3 minutes. Add a little water if needed.

2. Add the garlic, paprika and turmeric and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the rice until it is covered in the spices, then stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and
chicken stock. Season and bring to the boil.

4. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the frozen
peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand for 5–10
minutes.

5. Divide the dish into two servings and garnish with the lemon wedges.

MISO AUBERGINE
I’ve been introducing Ronnie to different fermented foods and this miso aubergine recipe is our
favourite vegetarian dish to make – it’s very simple and tastes incredible. The miso is naturally sweet
and adds a gorgeous texture to the aubergine.

SERVES 2
2 small aubergines, halved lengthways
2 tbsp olive oil
50g brown miso
100g couscous
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
50g spinach
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Make criss-cross patterns across the inside of the sliced aubergines, brush the surface with olive oil
and place on a baking tray.

3. Mix the brown miso with 20ml of water to create a thick paste. Spread across the aubergines, cover
with foil and roast for 20–25 minutes in the oven. Remove the foil and roast for a further 10–15
minutes.

4. In the meantime, boil 200ml water in a saucepan, adding a pinch of salt.

5. In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the couscous for 2 minutes. Then add it to
the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well and place on top of the aubergines.

6. Season and serve with the sliced chilli and spinach.

CAULIFLOWER AND AUBERGINE FRITTERS
These tasty fritters are great as a side dish or work wonderfully with dips. You wouldn’t think you
were eating vegetables – they feel like an indulgent treat, but don’t have the downside.

SERVES 2
½ large cauliflower, cut into small florets
120g wholemeal flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 small aubergine, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
120g Greek yoghurt (to serve)
1 lime, cut into wedges (to serve

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set
aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, garlic, cumin seed and coriander leaves. Mix in the
cauliflower and aubergine until well combined.

3. Heat the olive oil over a low-medium heat in a frying pan. Make 2–3 8cm rounds in the frying pan
with the mixture, ensuring that they are well-spaced, and cook the fritters for 2–3 minutes on each
side until golden brown.

4. Transfer the fritters on to a plate and serve with Greek yoghurt and lime wedges.
EGG FRIED RICE
This is a surprisingly balanced meal. When you think of egg fried rice you might think of greasy
takeaway food, but this is much more nourishing and delicious.

SERVES 2
1 egg
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
200g brown rice, cooked
1 tsp soy sauce
100g frozen peas
2 spring onions, finely chopped

1. Beat together the egg and sesame oil and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and stir fry the rice for 3–4 minutes.

3. Add the soy sauce, peas and spring onions and continue to stir for another 3–4 minutes. Move the
rice and vegetables to one side of the pan and add the egg to the other. Allow the egg to set for a
few seconds, then toss with the rice.

4. Stir fry for another minute or so and serve straight away.

DINNER
FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST
A traditional breakfast can actually be a perfectly balanced meal, so why not try eating one for
dinner and using a different protein source? Here we use turkey bacon but you could try vegetarian
sausages, burgers or chicken slices.

SERVES 2
2 tbsp olive oil
6 slices of turkey bacon
2 large tomatoes, halved
4 eggs
400g baked beans
2 slices of wholemeal toast

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and
tomatoes and fry for 5–10 minutes, turning the bacon occasionally.

2. At the same time, heat another frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat. Crack
the eggs into it and fry for 5 minutes, or until they are cooked to your liking.

3. Heat the baked beans in a saucepan or microwave.

4. Dish everything up in two servings, with a slice of toast per serving.

BEAN BURGERS
Bean burgers are super delicious and filling, so don’t be put off by this veggie twist on a classic.
You’ll be amazed by the flavour in these burgers, plus you’re getting some of your five a day! Enjoy
with salad, potato wedges or a classic bun, you can’t go wrong. You can freeze any leftover burgers
in an airtight container.

MAKES 10 BURGERS
400g sweet potato, mashed
250g microwaveable brown rice
240g black beans, drained
150g red onion, finely diced
200g ground almonds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes in half and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until soft.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the rice in the microwave for 1–2 minutes.

4. Add half the black beans to a mixing bowl and mash well. Then add the cooked sweet potato, rice,
onion, ground almonds, spices, salt and pepper and mash again.

5. The mixture should be wet yet mouldable. Shape into 10 burgers.

6. Line a baking tray with baking paper, drizzle with a little olive oil and place the burgers onto the
tray. Drizzle over a little more olive oil.

7. Bake the burgers for 35–40 minutes, carefully flipping them after 20 minutes. Remove from the
oven and serve with a tomato and avocado salad.

CHINESE STIR FRY

Ronnie has picked up some terrific combinations of flavours while playing in China, and loves
replicating them at home. A stir fry is a quick and simple meal and is packed with vegetables.
SERVES 4

For the marinade:

4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp chilli flakes
4 chicken fillets, cut into strips

For the stir fry:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large green pepper, chopped
14 button mushrooms, sliced
160g broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp cornflour
320g brown rice, cooked
30g toasted sesame seeds (to serve)

1. In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken strips. Toss the
chicken in to ensure it is coated, then leave in the fridge until needed.

2. Slice and chop the vegetables, and then heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high
heat.

3. Drain the chicken from the marinade (saving the leftover marinade) and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the carrots, pepper and mushrooms and
continue to cook for 3–4 minutes. Then add the broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Whisk the cornflour into the leftover marinade, and pour it into the pan. Bring to a simmer and
cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick.

6. Heat the cooked rice for 1 minute in the microwave and serve with the stir fry, finishing it with
sesame seeds.

Simple veggie swap – switch chicken for tempeh.

PASTA WITH GARLIC PRAWNS

Having grown up in an Italian household, where garlic was added to everything, Ronnie is always
keen to make it a main ingredient in his cooking. This is one of his signature dishes.

SERVES 1
100g wholemeal penne pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
100g raw prawns, peeled
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley, chopped Salt and pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water, stirring occasionally until it is al dente. Drain and cover to
keep warm.

2. While the pasta is boiling, heat the olive oil in a separate pan over a medium-high heat. Add the
garlic and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute. Add the prawns and cook for 4–5 minutes.

3. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and then the lemon juice and parsley.

4. Season and stir for another few minutes, and remove from the heat.

FISH PIE
A classic and satisfying dish for any occasion, a fish pie never fails to please a crowd. This recipe
contains healthy fats, protein and carbs – it’s a perfectly balanced meal.

SERVES 8
1½kg Maris Piper potatoes
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
50g unsalted butter
50g wholemeal flour
300ml fish stock
300ml milk of your choice
3 bay leaves
50g mature Cheddar, grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
300g boneless cod
200g salmon (skin removed)
200g haddock
200g spinach

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil in hot water for 15–20 minutes until soft, adding
the eggs to the pan for the final 8 minutes. Remove the eggs, then peel and cut into quarters. Drain
the potatoes and mash well with the olive oil. Set aside.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, make the sauce for the pie.

4. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and stir in the flour. Add the fish stock gradually,
stirring it in. Then add the milk and bay leaves, stirring until you have a silky sauce. Allow to cook
for 10 minutes until it thickens. Stir in half the Cheddar and add the lemon juice. Stir until the
cheese is melted and remove from the heat.

5. Slice the fish into chunks and spread them across a baking dish. Add the spinach.

6. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and pour it over the fish. Add the eggs.

7. Spoon the potato over the pie filling and mash gently with a fork.

8. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, then sprinkle over the remaining Cheddar and continue to bake
until the fish is cooked and the potato is golden. Serve with green vegetables.
INDIAN CURRY
Ronnie loves curries and I’ve enjoyed working with him to create this mouth-watering dish that he
can make at home. Serve with some rice or potatoes.

SERVES 4
1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken fillet breasts, chopped into chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp garam masala
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
200ml water
Salt and pepper
400g microwavable
brown rice

To serve:
Coriander leaves
Lime wedges
Soured cream

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes and remove
from the pan. Then fry the onion for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking for
another minute.

2. Stir in the coriander, paprika and garam masala. Add the chunks of chicken back into the pan and
cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes and water. Season and allow to simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the
chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat.

4. Heat the rice and serve with the curry. Garnish with the coriander leaves, lime wedges and a dollop
of soured cream.

Simple veggie swap – switch chicken for tofu.

THAI FISHCAKES
Thai fishcakes have become a firm favourite in the UK, but they are often deep fried and coated in a
heavy batter. This recipe has all the taste, yet none of the heaviness.

SERVES 2
350g cod fillet, skinned and diced
1 spring onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed Zest of a lime
2 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 egg
4 tbsp wholemeal flour
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Add the fish, spring onion, garlic, lime zest, curry paste, ginger and egg to a food processor and
blend. Move the mixture to a bowl, stir in the flour and breadcrumbs, and season with salt and
pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Mould the mixture into 4 burger shapes with your
hands.

3. Cook the fishcakes two at a time, for 5–7 minutes on each side.

4. Remove from the heat and serve with green vegetables.

ROAST CHICKEN DINNER
Ronnie and I both adore a roast dinner on a Sunday. Despite common misconceptions, it can
actually be both a balanced meal and a fantastic way of getting some vegetables into your diet. This
is a slightly lighter take on the classic.

SERVES 4
600g potatoes, peeled and halved
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked
4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 whole chicken (approx 1.6kg)
500g baby carrots, scrubbed
400g asparagus

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Place the potatoes in a large roasting tray and add the rosemary and thyme leaves. Drizzle with 1
tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well.

3. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season, before placing it on top of the potatoes.

4. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and turn the potatoes. Add the
carrots and return to the oven.

5. Cook for a further 25 minutes, then add the asparagus to the roasting tin. Cook for another 15
minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

6. Remove the chicken from the tray and rest for 20 minutes. Keep the vegetables warm.

7. Carve the chicken and serve with the roast potatoes and vegetables.
BAKED SALMON WITH FRESH CHILLI AND
GINGER
The texture of salmon when it’s baked in a tasty marinade is out of this world – and it also contains
a good amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are fantastic for brain health.

SERVES 1
1 salmon fillet (180–220g)
1 tsp fresh ginger, julienned
½ fresh red chilli, thinly sliced
2 tbsp light soy sauce
80g baby gem lettuce
7 cherry tomatoes
½ lemon
100g microwaveable brown rice

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Place the salmon fillet on a large piece of foil on a baking tray and top with the ginger, chilli and
soy sauce. Wrap the salmon in the foil and bake in the oven for 5–8 minutes.

3. Plate the lettuce and cut the tomatoes, squeezing the lemon juice on the salad. Heat the rice and
plate with the salad.

4. Once the salmon is cooked, remove from the oven and serve with the salad and rice.

Simple veggie swap – switch salmon for tofu.

CHICKEN MILANESE
Succulent chicken and crunchy breadcrumbs are the components of a delicious chicken Milanese
which, when paired with a refreshing green salad, makes for a great dinner.

SERVES 2
2 chicken breasts
90g wholemeal flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 egg
70g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Green salad (to serve)

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts, using a sharp knife. To do this, place the chicken breast on a
chopping board, then slice into the side. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Next, open out
the breast so that it resembles a butterfly.

2. Cover the chicken with Clingfilm and pummel with a rolling pin to even out the thickness.

3. Add the flour, salt and pepper to a small bowl and stir thoroughly. In another bowl, beat the egg.
Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.

4. Place the first chicken breast in the bowl of flour. Make sure that both sides are covered, shake off
any excess flour and then coat it in the egg. Finally, coat the chicken breast in the breadcrumbs.

5. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Place the coated chicken breasts in the
pan and cook for 4–5 minutes on both sides, until they are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are
golden brown.

6. Squeeze lemon over the chicken and serve with a green salad.
HEALTHY FISH AND CHIPS
Fish and chips is a British favourite, but it doesn’t have to be dripping in grease – try this homemade
take on the traditional version and you’ll never look back.

SERVES 2
400g Maris Piper potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
2 slices of wholemeal bread
1 egg
2 haddock fillets
1 tbsp wholemeal flour
160g frozen peas
2 lemon wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Peel the potatoes and chop into ‘chunky chips’. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle with olive
oil and toss in salt. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

3. Lightly toast the bread, then pulse in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Beat the egg in a
bowl.

4. Place each fish fillet in the flour and, having coated both sides, shake off any excess and then coat
it in the egg. Finally, coat the fish in the breadcrumbs and place the breaded fish on a lined baking
tray and cook in the oven with the chips for a further 10 minutes.

5. 5 minutes before the fish and chips are ready, boil the peas for 3–4 minutes and then drain.

6. Remove the fish and chips from the oven, and serve with the peas and lemon wedge.

Simple veggie swap – switch haddock for halloumi.

SINGAPORE NOODLES
Ronnie always orders a bowl of Singapore noodles when he goes out for a Chinese meal, so we’ve
created our own version of this classic dish that contains less fat but just as much flavour.

SERVES 2
140g medium egg noodles
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp olive oil
½ red pepper, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
100g raw prawns, peeled
1 carrot, grated

1. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water, stirring to separate them. Drain and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the teriyaki sauce and curry powder.

3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped peppers and cook for 2–3
minutes. Then add the prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes, before adding the noodles.

4. Stir for 2–3 minutes, then add the teriyaki sauce, curry powder mixture and the grated carrot.
Continue to cook until the prawns are cooked through and divide into two servings.

Simple veggie swap – switch prawns for tempeh.

FIVE-MINUTE OPEN OMELETTE

The classic omelette is a healthy and affordable meal you can prepare in no time. Ronnie often gets
home late and this is one of his go-to meals after a busy day – it’s nutritious but not so heavy that he
can’t eat it late at night.

SERVES 1
1 tbsp olive oil
3 eggs, beaten
A handful of spinach
½ red pepper, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and pour in the eggs.

2. Allow to cook until the sides of the omelette start to set – you can tilt the pan to move the mixture
around to encourage it to cook more quickly. Add the spinach and peppers, and continue to cook
for another few minutes.

3. When the middle of the omelette is set, use a spatula to slide it on to a plate.
VEGAN CHILLI
This delicious and comforting chilli is suitable for the whole family. It’s full of fibre, terrific for a
healthy gut and will leave you feeling full and satisfied. Try adding a dollop of Greek yoghurt for
some additional protein.

SERVES 2
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, diced
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
50ml vegetable stock
1 tsp chilli powder
200g pinto beans, drained
200g kidney beans, drained
200g puy lentils, cooked
100ml water
Coriander leaves (to garnish)

1. Heat the olive oil in a sacuepan over a medium heat and add the garlic, onion and pepper.

2. Then add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and chilli powder and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils and water and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat, split into 2 servings and garnish with coriander leaves.

VEGAN THAI CURRY

Thai curries are great when you want to cook an easy-yet-decadent dish – the rich coconut milk and
the flavours of the spices and vegetables make it completely delicious. It’s dairy-free and contains
plant-based protein from peas and edamame beans, which makes for a vegan-friendly, balanced
dish.

SERVES 2
3 small potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp green curry paste
250ml coconut milk
250g tofu, cut into cubes
100g frozen peas
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
A handful of spinach
30g sesame seeds
½ red chilli, thinly sliced

1. Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of water for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, make the sauce.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for
3–4 minutes, then add the ginger, curry paste and coconut milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer.

4. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the tofu. Cook until it is golden.

5. Add the peas and potatoes to the curry sauce, and then add the cooked tofu. Stir for 1–2 minutes,
before adding the rice wine vinegar and spinach.

6. Top with sesame seeds and sliced chill to serve.

TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PASTA BAKE
Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated – you can buy a can of tomato and basil sauce from any
supermarket as a cheap and healthy way of stocking your kitchen cupboards with versatile items.
This pasta bake is simple to make, and very tasty.

SERVES 1
100g wholemeal penne pasta
125g tomato and basil sauce
40g cherry tomatoes, quartered
30g mozzarella, torn

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Boil the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain
and rinse well.

3. Pour the pasta into an oven-safe dish and stir in the tomato and basil sauce, and the tomatoes.

4. Add the mozzarella, dotting it over the pasta.

5. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until it is crispy on top.

ON-THE-GO SNACKS
OATCAKES AND HUMMUS
You can grab a pot of hummus and pack of oatcakes from any supermarket – this is a snack that
contains lots of fibre, protein and healthy fats.

SERVES 1
60g hummus
3 oatcakes

1. Hummus is the perfect snack, being a good source of protein, and provides essential minerals such
as manganese, copper and iron.

2. Spread the hummus evenly across the oatcakes.

RICE CAKES WITH COTTAGE CHEESE

Ronnie likes to keep some cottage cheese in his fridge at all times, so I encouraged him to start
spreading it on rice cakes to make sure he gets carbohydrates with his protein.

SERVES 1
200g cottage cheese
3 rice cakes
1 spring onion, sliced

1. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein and is also high in calcium.

2. Spread the cottage cheese on the rice cakes and garnish with the spring onions.

BRITISH EGG MUFFINS

Egg muffins are delicious and wholesome – the muffins contain lots of fibre and the scrambled eggs
are full of protein.
SERVES 1
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 wholemeal muffin, toasted

1. Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein and contain essential nutrients including
vitamins A, D, B12 and selenium.

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in the
eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Gently scramble the eggs with a spatula. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the eggs begin to set.

4. Serve the eggs on top of the muffin.

Simple vegan swap – switch eggs for tofu.

For the tofu:

115g tofu
1 tsp turmeric
1tsp smoked paprika

1. If using tofu, chop it up and use a fork to crumble the pieces into bite-sized chunks.

2. Pour some olive oil into a frying pan and, when it’s hot, add the tofu. I like to throw in some
turmeric and smoked paprika for extra flavour, too.

3. Stir until combined and cook over a medium-high heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve the tofu on top of the muffin.

AVOCADO AND EGGS

Ronnie and I both love breakfast, so I devised a list of snacks that he can whip up at a moment’s
notice. This brunch-inspired snack provides the perfect combination of fats, carbohydrates and
protein!

SERVES 1
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
½ avocado, sliced

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-
high heat and pour in the eggs.

2. Gently scramble the eggs with a spatula. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the eggs begin to set.

3. Serve the eggs on a plate with the avocado.

RYE BREAD WITH TUNA AND SWEETCORN
This perfect snack is a delicious and simple combination of tuna and sweetcorn that doesn’t contain
any mayonnaise. The textured rye bread is a delicious addition, too. High in protein, tuna is also a
good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

SERVES 1
80g tinned sweetcorn
100g tinned tuna
1 slice of rye bread, toasted

1. Drain the sweetcorn and the tuna, then gently mash them together. Serve on toasted rye bread.

SARDINES ON TOAST
This recipe takes me and Ronnie back to our childhoods when our grandparents would serve toast
with sardines, a meal that was always satisfying, healthy and delicious. Sardines are a fabulous
source of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron and potassium.

SERVES 1
100g sardines
1 slice of wholemeal bread, toasted
Cherry tomatoes, quartered (to serve)

1. Place the sardines on the toast and top with the quartered cherry tomatoes.

OAT SMOOTHIE
A smoothie is a great way to top up your nutrients throughout the day. A top tip is to always have a
jar of oats in the cupboard and fruit such as peeled bananas and berries in the freezer, so you are
always ready to blend.

SERVES 1
50g oats
1 banana
200ml milk of your choice
½ tsp cinnamon
5 ice cubes

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender and pour into a glass.

YOGHURT AND BERRIES WITH NUT BUTTER
Greek yoghurt is a great source of protein and also contains beneficial live bacteria. When paired
with the healthy fats in nut butter and the vitamins from berries, this is a great snack to have in-
between meals when you need a pick-me-up.

SERVES 1
80g Greek yoghurt
30g raspberries
30g blueberries
20g dried cranberries
2 tbsp nut butter of your choice

1. Place the yoghurt in a bowl and scatter the berries on top. Serve with 2 tablespoons of your
favourite nut butter.
NUTS
A handful of nuts is a simple and nourishing snack – you should always have a pack in your bag for
moments when you’re hungry while on the go. Try a different variety of nuts each time.

SERVES 1
40g nuts of your choice

Nuts are a great source of dietary fibre and provide a variety of vitamins, including several B vitamins
(such as folate). They are also a good way to get vitamin E and minerals including calcium, iron, zinc,
potassium and magnesium into your diet.

Eat as a snack between meals.

BANANA AND NUTS

This is a great snack and perfect to eat on the go. Measuring out the nuts, wrapping them in tin foil
and keeping them in your bag is a great idea.

SERVES 1
30g walnuts
1 banana

Banana and nuts are a great source of carbohydrates and protein that will keep you full of energy until
your next meal.
INDEX
(page numbers in italics refer to photographs)

addiction 10, 20, 23

almond milk, benefits of 42
antioxidants 88
anxiety 62
appetite hormones 74
Apricot Overnight Oats 144, 145
asparagus 186
aubergines 87, 166, 169
avocados 41, 49, 94, 95, 99, 108, 131, 157, 207
Avocado and Eggs 207

Baked Fish with Herbs 155

Baked Salmon with Fresh Chilli and Ginger 188, 189
Banana and Cinnamon Breakfast Cookies 126, 127
Banana and Nuts 215
Banana Bread 128, 129
Banana Porridge 110
bananas 92, 108, 110, 113, 116, 124, 127, 129, 136, 139, 140, 210, 215
Bean Burgers 176, 177
beans 37, 40, 83, 152, 154, 174, 177, 197
berry fruits 92, 108, 111, 116, 120, 124, 133, 136, 139, 140, 212
Berry Porridge 111
Berry Smoothie 138, 139
bingeing 13
Black Bean Burritos 152, 153
blood glucose, ‘spike’ in 61, 62
blood sugar 61–3
brain:
carbohydrates benefit 30
gains 48–9
glucose fuels 62
and gut health 96
health 79–80
‘second’ 80
breakfast, benefits of 43, 46
Breakfast Omelette 122, 123
Breakfast Pancakes 116, 117
Breakfast Pitta Sandwich 135
British Egg Muffins 206
burgers 177

calories, explained 60
carbohydrates 30, 41, 48, 57, 61–3, 64–6, 79
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats 144, 145
carrots 145, 186
Cauliflower and Aubergine Fritters 168, 169
charcoal 91
cheese 114, 122, 135, 149, 152, 163, 200, 205
Cheese Porridge 114
Chia Seed Raspberry Jam on Toast 120, 121
chia seeds 120, 139, 141, 142
chicken 81, 150, 159, 160, 165, 182, 186, 190
benefits of 40, 79, 80
Chicken Kebabs 158, 159
Chicken Milanese 190, 191
Chicken Salad Sandwich with Greek Yoghurt 160, 161
Chinese Stir Fry 178
Chocolate and Coconut Overnight Oats 143
Chocolate Porridge 112, 113
Cinnamon Muesli 132, 133
Cinnamon Spice Overnight Oats 142
Classic Overnight Oats 141
cod 95, 155, 180, 184
coeliac disease 89
complex carbohydrates 61–2, 65
cranberries 133, 160, 212
cravings 61
cross-contamination 89

Davis, Steve 25
depression 28, 62, 80, 99
dessert, what to eat for 45
diet plan 39
dieting, pitfalls of 34, 53
dinner, when to eat 45, 46

eating-out plate 72
Egg Fried Rice 170, 171
Egg Muffins 115, 206
exercise 52, 74, 77, 78

Falafel 83
fatigue 16, 62, 64, 69, 97
fats 41, 49, 68, 79
fibre 61, 66
Fish and Chips 192, 193
Fish Fillet 87
Fish Pie 180, 181
fitness plate 72, 92
5-a-day 41, 42, 75
Five-minute Open Omelette 195
Flatbread and Hummus 134
flaxseed 31, 43, 92, 139
focus, how to 42
folates 37
French Toast 124, 125
Fresh Breakfast Bowl 108, 109
Fruit Salad 84
Full English Breakfast 174, 175

Gingerbread Porridge 113, 112

glucose 32, 62
gluten 89
glycogen 59, 64, 67
go-to carbohydrates 48
goal-setting 31, 54, 74
grains 39, 41, 61–3, 65, 89, 91
Granola 118, 119
grazing 67
Green Smoothie 136, 137
gut health 80, 89–91, 96
gut-health plate 72, 86–7

haddock 95, 180, 192

Healthy Fish and Chips 192, 193
‘healthy’ options, beware of 99
Hendry, Stephen 21, 23
Hummus 83, 205
hydration 43, 69

Indian Curry 182, 183

iron deficiency 37
irritability 37, 62

Jacket Sweet Potato and Homemade Beans 154

kefir 88
kimchi 88
kitchen tips 100
knowledge, as ‘magic ingredient’ 30
kombucha 88

Lambert, Rhiannon 13–15, 25, 62, 68, 69, 86, 96, 102
Ronnie first meets 29–30, 39, 53
lentils 40, 63, 197
low-carb diet 52, 66
lunch, benefits of 44, 46

mackeral 86
macronutrients 68, 79
mangoes 139, 140, 157
Mango, Prawn and Avocado Salad 156, 157
mental health 24, 29, 36, 72
mental-health plate 72
metabolism 60, 66
micronutrients 80, 84
milk:
benefits of 32, 42, 43, 57, 92
fermented 88
plant-based 98
mindful eating 32–9, 96–7
Miso Aubergine 87, 166, 167
monounsaturates 68, 80
mood plate 72
mood swings 61, 62, 64
motivation 12, 54
muscle-building 67
mushrooms 115, 122, 165, 178

neurodegenerative diseases 80
niacin deficiency 37
non-coeliac gluten sensitivity 89
non-starchy foods 78
noodles 194
nutrient intake 56, 57, 60
nuts and seeds, benefits of 41, 214

Oat Smoothie 210, 211

Oatcakes and Hummus 204, 205
oats 92, 108, 110, 111, 113, 114, 119, 127, 133, 136, 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 210
olive oil, benefits of 41, 68, 79, 80, 81
omega-3 68, 80, 110, 189, 209
Omelette 195
O’Sullivan, Ronnie:
head-butting suspension 21
physical-health problems 29, 52
 Rhiannon first meets 29–30, 39, 53
running taken up by 10, 20, 21, 23, 30, 39, 54, 64, 74, 77
as Snooker World Champion 21, 25

Pasta Bake 200, 201

Pasta with Garlic Prawns 179
Peanut Butter Smoothie 136, 137
peas 165, 171, 192, 198
performance, how to maximise 57
Peters, Steve 21
Pizza Wraps 162, 163
plates, what to put on 31, 72, 75, 79–80, 81
Poached Eggs on Rye Bread with Avocado 130, 131
Porridge, Walnut, Berries, Almond Milk & Flaxseed 92
potatoes 180, 186, 192, 198
prawns 157, 179, 194
pre-tournament plate 72, 94–5
probiotics 87, 88, 91
processed foods, minimising 60
protein 40, 43, 57, 67, 79, 111

Rainbow Chilli Stir Fry 150, 151

Reardon, Ray 25
rice 31, 32, 41, 46, 48, 59, 61, 63, 65, 70, 84, 171, 177, 178, 182
Rice Cakes with Cottage Cheese 204, 205
Rice Salad 84
on-the-road plate 72, 82–3
Roast Chicken Dinner 186, 187
Roasted Fish with Baked Sweet Potato 94–5
roasted vegetables, benefits of 80, 81, 95
Ronnie and Rhiannon’s Homemade Pizza 148, 149
Ronnie’s Paella 164, 165
running 98
extra nutrition for 54
foods to eat after 59
foods to eat before 57
Rye Bread with Tuna and Sweetcorn 208, 209

salmon 86, 180, 189

sardines 209
Sardines on Toast 208, 209
Sauerkraut Salad 87, 88
sea bass 95
seeds and nuts benefits of 41, 80, 214
selenium 37, 206
Singapore Noodles 194
snacking 43–4, 46
snooker depression 99
spinach 108, 115, 122, 135, 136, 163, 180, 195, 198
Strawberry Mango Smoothie 140
sugar, cutting down on 60, 98
sweet potato 80, 94, 95, 154, 177

Thai Curry 198, 199

Thai Fishcakes 184, 185
thiamin deficiency 37
Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Bake 200, 201
Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza Wraps 162, 163
training day plate 72
training programme 64, 77
Tropical Smoothie 138, 139
tuna 209
type 2 diabetes 66

Vegan Chilli 196, 197

Vegan Thai Curry 198, 199
Vegetable Sticks 84
vitamins and minerals 32, 36, 37, 54, 80, 88, 209

water-soluble vitamins 54

yo-yo weight change 13, 20

yoghurt, benefits of 31, 43, 45, 57, 84, 88
Yoghurt and Berries with Nut Butter 212, 213
RHIANNON LAMBERT
Rhiannon is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) specialising in weight
management and sports nutrition. Founder of leading Harley Street clinic
Rhitrition and bestselling author of Re-Nourish: A Simple Way To Eat Well,
Rhiannon’s qualified approach to nutrition and total dedication to her clients’
needs has seen her work with some of the world’s most influential people.
Having worked with Olympic athletes, Rhiannon demonstrates the dramatic
impact nutrition can have on performance at the highest level.

Rhiannon has obtained a first-class Bachelor’s (BSc) degree in Nutrition and

Health and a Masters (MSc) degree in Obesity, Risks and Prevention. She is
also a Master Practitioner in Eating Disorders and Obesity, having obtained a
diploma from The National Centre For Eating Disorders, approved by The
British Psychological Society (BPS). Rhiannon continuously furthers her
study, becoming a Personal Trainer and delving into the world of pre and
post natal nutrition.

Rhiannon hosts the leading nutrition and health podcast, Food For Thought,
and is pioneering in the world of social media via her @rhitrition platforms.
Regularly seen in the press contributing to the latest health news, ‘in a world
full of confusing nutritional advice, Rhiannon Lambert is a beacon of sense’
say The Independent.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN
Ronnie O’Sullivan OBE is the world’s most popular snooker player, and one
of the greatest sportsmen ever to enter the game. First picking up a cue at just
7 years old and winning his first ranking title just ten years later, Ronnie has
won an incredible 34 ranking titles. His achievements include an exceptional
5 World Titles, a record 7 UK Championships, and a record 7 Masters Titles
- setting another record of 19 titles in Triple Crown tournaments.

Ronnie is widely considered to be one of the most naturally gifted players the
game has ever seen. A right-handed player, he can also play to an extremely
high standard with his left hand. He is a born showman and a firm favourite
among the crowds.

Away from snooker, Ronnie loves running and cooking, which made Top of
Your Game the perfect project for him. Previously, Ronnie found himself
over-exercising, eating badly, and lacking energy, but thanks to his new
attitude towards his physical and mental health, he continues to excel in his
sport over 25 years since turning professional.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Since learning about food, I feel better than ever. Making those changes came
once I understood that what I put into my body helps me get the absolute best
out of it.

I want to share that message and knowledge with all of you to make sure you
feel the best you can as well. I hope this book can be your starting point
because we can only do better once we know what to do. So, the first thank
you I want to make is to Rhiannon, for educating me on how important
nutrition is. Eating well and getting control over my diet has given me the
energy I need to keep fit and maintain a healthy mind and body. Learning all
she had to teach me has truly changed my life; I won’t ever look back.

I’d also like to thank my partner, Laila. Making big changes to your lifestyle
is hard at the start and I couldn’t have done it without her support. I am so
lucky to have a partner who has the same vision and goals as me. She knows
how important it is to look after yourself and has been behind me 100% on
this. We make a great team.